| 18 October 2005
Bill Rammell, the Minister for Higher Education, visited Birkbeck on
Tuesday 18 October following his announcement to launch a substantial
new funding package for part-time students.
Vice-Master of Birkbeck, Professor Philip Dewe, welcomed Bill Rammell
to the College where he met students and graduates (right).
Under the new measures, the part-time student grant will rise by 25%,
meaning tens of thousands of the poorest part-time students will be
eligible for extra money to help pay course fees and living costs.
Around 85,000 students are expected to benefit from the increase in
the annual fee grant which will mean a rise from:
• £590 to £750 for students studying at 50% the intensity
of a full-time course; and
• £885 to £1125 for students studying at least 75%
the intensity of a full-time course.
Students on low incomes are also eligible to apply for a course grant
of £250 a year to help towards other costs of studying.
In addition the discretionary funds available to institutions to help
part-time students will quadruple. With the new more generous student
finance package for full-timers reducing their call on the Access to
Learning Fund, funds distributed against part-time numbers will increase
from £3m to £12m from 2006. Institutions will be able to
use this resource as an additional fee support on top of the grant or
to increase help to students facing financial hardship, for example,
meeting childcare costs.
Speaking at Birkbeck, Bill Rammell said: “When I took over this
job there was a real concern put forward by part-time institutions that
from 2006 there would be a disparity of funding. This was obviously
a concern to us and we have therefore worked long and hard over the
summer to come up with a package that has been welcomed by Birkbeck,
the Open University and the Coalition of Modern Universities. Following
our announcement, there will now be a lot more money coming forward
to the individual student.
“This is a really positive example of the part-time sector identifying
a problem, and the Government genuinely coming along and saying OK,
we want to work up a constructive solution.”
After his meeting with a group of students at the College, he added:
“My impression of Birkbeck students is very good. It’s wonderful
that their opportunities and horizons have been broadened by going through
higher education, and I’m presuming that a number of those people
would not have gone through higher education where it not for the type
of provision Birkbeck is offering.
“I want all institutions to broaden participation in higher education,
and I get every sense going round the country that institutions are
signed up to that agenda, but I think Birkbeck is a shining example
of how you can marry research excellence with the broadening participation
agenda.”
Professor David Latchman, Master of Birkbeck, said: “Birkbeck
welcomes any change to funding arrangements that better support the
financial needs of part-time students. Today’s announcement begins
to redress the balance so that part-time students who might struggle
to pay fees will now have access to the financial support they need.
The government has been listening to our concerns and we consider that
this is a good outcome.”
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