Proposals set out in the government’s response to the Augar Review, a post-18 review of higher education, include policy changes which would restrict the number of places at universities in England and introduce minimum entry grades to qualify for student loans.

Under the proposals currently put forward for consultation, students who fail to gain a grade four GCSE (old grade C or above) pass in Maths and English, or two E grades at A-level, will not be eligible for a student loan. 

For those who do qualify for a loan, the proposals seek to extend the student loan period to 40 years and lower the repayment threshold to £25,000.

Leeds Trinity University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Malcolm Todd reflects on the impact these changes, if introduced, could have for universities like Leeds Trinity and its learners, drawing on his own personal experiences.  

For the sake of our future students, I welcome the proposals for tuition fees to be frozen at £9,250 for two years. Though I am concerned that many students with real potential will be disadvantaged by the proposal for minimum results in English and Maths in order to qualify for a loan.

On the face of it, expecting a, relatively low, qualification in English and Maths may seem perfectly reasonable – universities are, after all, about academic achievement – but I do think this would impact some of this country’s future talent.

In fact, if such rules were in place back when I started my studies, they would probably have prevented me from getting a degree and, ultimately, becoming a Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

For family reasons, I missed large chunks of my education through time off school and did not qualify in Maths. I went on to work in a warehouse after school as a forklift truck driver but I had always wanted the opportunity to go to university.  So my own experience in life is that sometimes things just do not go right at school and for whatever reason you don’t get these key qualifications of English and Maths; this can remain a legacy that stays with you for a long time, impeding future career prospects.

In time, I went to evening classes at an FE college and eventually got the offer of a place at Sheffield City Polytechnic, now Sheffield Hallam University, which is when I re-engaged with Maths and got my qualification.  Under the government’s proposals I would not have qualified for a student loan.

At Leeds Trinity University, we have a mission to provide support and opportunity for young people and mature learners and help them gain access to higher education through a flexible, individualised approach.

This is an approach we pride ourselves on and is reflected in our ‘name, not a number’ ethos.

We are compassionate and understanding of people’s circumstances, including those who may not have had the best start in their primary and secondary education. 

The minimum entry requirements loans are not set to affect the over 25s, but nevertheless there are many younger students who will be affected.

The proposals also seek to extend the student loan period to 40 years and lower the repayment threshold to £25,000. This will disproportionately impact lower earning graduates over a lifetime which does not feel progressive.

At Leeds Trinity University, not all of our courses require English and Maths as entry point criteria, however as a consequence of the loan requirements, students may look to undertake Foundation courses. This would in turn extend their period of study and ultimately their eventual debt, I would argue unnecessarily.  

The Government is also focusing on STEM subjects, such as natural sciences, maths, engineering, and technology-related fields, whilst deeming other courses which fall outside of this as ‘low quality’ or ‘low value’. This is quite a reductive vision.

Our University recruits very locally and we have a significant impact in our region, with many graduates going on to work in Leeds or Bradford. We play a significant role in the local economy in terms of the jobs market and we work very closely with the city council on their strategic plans for workforce development. We play a key role as an anchor institution within Leeds.

My concern is that the traditional role Leeds Trinity has played in widening access to higher education will be damaged. We won’t be able to outreach into some of the most deprived wards in West Yorkshire as we have previously, creating opportunity for some of the poorest students in the country who are often first in generation entering higher education.  

These proposals might deter young people who leave school with no qualifications to even consider higher education as an option. So what else is available for these students, because apprenticeships are not always the right route for them?

We know that over the last two years the pandemic has had a significant impact on poorer families in the region, so it seems particularly perverse to impact further on young people’s prospects further in this way.

Going back to my own experience at Sheffield City Polytechnic, it was those tutors who had faith in me and supported me. I went on to do a degree and a PhD and to work there. I think civic universities understand the students and their different paths and are willing to give young people opportunities to progress.

My fear is that we are going to see a market-driven, targeted higher education approach which is really going to impede our mission to have an impact and change lives through personalised support into education. If the government truly wants to ‘level up’ the country, then they need to start with our young people and give them access to the opportunities they need and deserve – regardless of their background and the cards they have been dealt.     

Professor Malcolm Todd was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Leeds Trinity University in March 2021 having joined the University as Interim in August 2020.

Prior to joining Leeds Trinity, Professor Todd held the position of Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Derby. He has previously worked at Leeds Beckett University as the founding Head of the School of Social, Psychological and Communication Studies, and at Sheffield Hallam University where he was the Head of Learning and Teaching in a large faculty.