Response to new IFS report on student funding

Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said: “The IFS report will make an important contribution to discussions about the student funding system, its fitness for purpose, and its cost to government. The findings of the report will feed in to the work of the Student Funding Panel which was set up by Universities UK in 2014 and which is currently finalising its own report.

“The priority for the Student Funding Panel will be to ensure that any changes to the current student funding system represent value for money for students, provide stability in funding for universities, and are financially sustainable for government.

“Universities UK established the Student Funding Panel in 2014 with external experts to review the student funding system in England, and to make recommendations on future funding options. The Panel will report its recommendations after the general election.”

Members of the Student Funding Panel include:

• Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, Universities UK President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Surrey

• Will Hutton, Chair of the Independent Commission on Fees

• Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)

• Emran Mian, Director of the Social Market Foundation

• Mike Rowley, UK Head of Education, KPMG

• Professor David Latchman, Master of Birkbeck, University of London

• Professor Paul O’Prey, Vice-Chancellor, University of Roehampton

• Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, Chair of the Universities UK’s Funding Policy Network and Vice-Chancellor, University of Bath

• Professor Janet Beer, Vice-Chancellor, Oxford Brookes University

• Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor, University of Reading

• Professor Sir Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor, University of Exeter