Degree dilemma

Changing demographics meant there was always going to be a fall in the number of potential under-graduates. Ahead of the increase in fees, many A-level students scrapped planned gap years. Furthermore, mature students were always going to think twice about prolonging their studies.

That said, the figures released by Ucas, the admissions body, do indicate the gradual emergence of a new financial realism. That more students are thinking about studying at their local university, to reduce accommodation costs, is indicative of these straitened times.

Young people have never been compelled to study away from home - but many have grown up believing that this is an essential part of their rite of passage from their teenage years to adulthood. Yet, if more people enrol at their local university, this should strengthen links between higher education institutions and nearby communities - a positive trend.

Furthermore, the Government’s critics persist in overlooking the fact that safeguards have been put in place to assist students from poorer backgrounds - concessions that would probably not have been provided without the Lib Dems exerting their influence in the corridors of power.

That said, the Government is not in a position to provide a ‘blank cheque’ and a greater onus should be placed on vice-chancellors to ensure that their institution offers genuine value for money. If they do, these controversial reforms should work in the longer-term.