Part-time student numbers collapse by 56% in five years

Guardian 05 May 2017

Despite rhetoric from government, part-time student numbers are plummeting, which experts believe is down to a lack of financial support from the government, writes Anna Fazackerley for the Guardian.

The latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that part-time student numbers in England have fallen 56% since 2010. Numbers have been declining for a decade, but fell from 243,355 in 2010-11 to just 107,325 in 2015-16.

The major problems began in 2012, when the government raised the cap on part-time fees to £6,750 (US$8,700) a year. It has since tried to address this crisis by improving financial support for some part-time students by introducing maintenance loans. But experts say this has not gone nearly far enough. The fall in demand means universities are quietly closing their part-time courses.
Full report on the Guardian site

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