<p>There's been quite a hullabaloo in education circles in the UK this week with the news that a new private 'college' is to open in London. The New College for the Humanities is being set up by 'leading' academics and is going to charge £18,000 a year (twice the price of the most expensive public universities in England). </p>
<p>Personally I think it's a bit of a joke. It's certainly not worth the money when you consider the fact that this college is renting all of its facilities from neighbouring London universities and it has no degree awarding powers, its students will be issued with University of London degrees - which cost much less than £18k!</p>
<p>I disagree. In my humble opinion (and I am no expert on UK unis), I think that NCH will be a big success, although it might take a few years, for the following reasons:</p>
<p>1) Due to Government budget cuts, UK university places are being reduced and good private universities will have to be created to pick up the slack;
2) Due to Government quotas, many highly qualified London private school students are not being accepted to Oxbridge and other Russell Group unis. Therefore, for some students, attending the NCH in London will be more appealing than attending, in their eyes, a second-tier university in an unappealing provincial city;
3) I am already paying nearly £18k per year for my children to attend London day secondary schools. Therefore, for some parents paying another £54k in uni tuition is no big deal, particularly as this is still less than half the cost of sending their kids off to the USA for uni; and
4) This school will attract US, Canadian and other non-EU students who want to go to uni in London and can’t get accepted by LSE, Imperial.</p>
<p>Overall, I think that your points are all valid. However, it won’t take that many kids to attend NCH to become a success. Jackuk</p>
<p>2) Due to Government quotas, many highly qualified London private school students are not being accepted to Oxbridge and other Russell Group unis.</p>
<p>This is not true. In fact the number of independently educated students at Oxbridge is going up, no down. If a highly qualified student from one of London’s top private schools fails to get into one of Britain’s best universities it isn’t because a less well qualified and poorer student took his or her place.</p>
<p>4) This school will attract US, Canadian and other non-EU students who want to go to uni in London and can’t get accepted by LSE, Imperial.</p>
<p>I’m sure it will, but how many? This college I understand will only have around 200 places, will the majority of its students be British or will it become an enclave of very wealthy foreign students who didn’t get into Oxbridge.</p>
<p>I expect that they’ll expand the number of places when(if?) the school gets more popular, creating more room for foreign students. It’ll just end up as another school for the rich and privileged; regular UK unis who have lower fees will get the middle class foreign students.</p>
<p>London’s way too expensive anyway. I turned down Imperial because my tuition fees there would’ve been £18,000.</p>