<p>Here's a story you wouldn't read about in the U.S... Tens of thousands of UK students are protesting a planned increase in college tuition - to about $14,000 per year.</p>
<p>While $14,000 sounds like a modest number by US standards, it's about three times what students pay now. Previously, a university education was free.</p>
<p>Full story: Thousands</a> of UK students protest tuition fees hike - World news - Europe - msnbc.com</p>
<p>Yep, I’m British, and at my college (upper high school) some people are planning to go protest in London tomorrow; not to mention all Unis here are public (except for one, can’t remember which).</p>
<p>So they used to get their donuts for free and now they’re mad because they have to pay for them? -___________-</p>
<p>You’re honestly comparing donuts to tuition fees? Thats a pretty poor analogy.</p>
<p>So they used to get their assorted pastries for free and now they’re mad because they have to pay for them? -___________-</p>
<p>It’s my understanding that the British government had a stated target of 50% of young people going to university. Unfortunately, however, you can only have free or cheap university when you severely restrict access. American students sometimes complain that they don’t understand why university can’t be “free” here too. These students are often the very ones who would never even get into university under a European-style system with cost-free yet very competitive admissions for a limited number (say, 15% of the young population).</p>
<p>Agreed NJSue, whilst the acceptance rates are a little higher compared to the top 25 or so universities in the US, the number of higher educational institutes in the UK is far lower per capita.</p>
<p>I guess the UK (except for Scotland) is at an impasse, whether to allow tuition prices be determined by the market/raise the price ceiling or have an egalitarian model similiar to Denmark and Finland.</p>
<p>I’m from England, and it’s not just about the fact that the fees are rising. The student’s anger has been exacerbated by the fact that our deputy prime minister (Nick Clegg) promised in his manifesto not to raise tuition fees. The government are doing this to minimise the budget deficit; by cutting public service costs and raising fees for public services etc.</p>
<p>The protests got very violent today. Students broke windows and got into the Tory (conservative party) HQ, set things alight and fought police officers… pretty brutal.</p>
<p>My cousin is going to protest tomorrow. He is supposed to start university next year. His sister is 2 years behind him. He got very high marks and is extremely angry about this whole situation. He sees it as a slap in the face. We’re not sure whether or not his sister is going to university, so it is affecting her less.</p>
<p>Unlike in the US where colleges have built up sometimes substantial endowments to fund scholarships, this does not exist in the UK. Although those on very low incomes do not have to pay fees, there is limited to no partial need based aid or merit aid for the rest of student applicants - you might get £600 for your books, but that is it.</p>
<p>Another difference is that most middle-class American parents realize that they must save up in advance for part of their kids’ college education, and there are various tax-advantaged savings vehicles to help them. The sudden increase in fees in the UK has caught a lot of families unprepared.</p>
<p>Good on the students. You give them an inch and they’ll take a mile.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Most parents in the UK actually dont fund the education of their kids. Most college students (Or “uni” students as they say over there) depend on something called “student finance” which basically involves loaning money for their education. Consequently, a higher amount of tuition fees leads to a rise in their loans.</p>
<p>lol they had to seal the thames house (not that it wasn’t already sealed up enough) cause some students started trying to destroy the conservative party headquarters</p>
<p>i believe the tuition in scotland is still free though…</p>
<p>[So they used to get their donuts for free and now they’re mad because they have to pay for them? -___________- ]</p>
<p>If you are Chinese/live in China, you might be too young to remember that China had free college tuition for their national universities at one time. </p>
<p>Kind of ironic how they did away with that while maintaining a university admissions system* that is so cutthroat that less than 50% of all students taking the national college entrance exam gain admission to any university. </p>
<p>*Determined almost exclusively by the 3-day long National University Entrance Exam.</p>
<p>People are righty angry considering the liberal democrat party (which acted as kingmaker in the recent hung parliament, and are now in a ruling partnership with the conservatives in government) promised and signed a pledge to scrap fees - now they’ve tripled them.</p>
<p>The kick of it is that these seemingly arbitrary fee rises are being imposed on a decidedly poorer population by a very rich cabinet of ministers, all of whom enjoyed a free university education when they were young.</p>
<p>I am US citizen, however objectively I can understand why they are upset, with a triple increase, and being unprepared, as well as the fact they pay higher taxes. </p>
<p>I still do not think in any circumstance violence or physical reactions can ever be an excuse for being unnerved. It is disgusting what a few of these goons did, and destroyed the chance for diplomacy amongst other fair minded british students.</p>
<p>huh?
Power never bows under 0 pressure. If you don’t have people serious enough to fight for the issue, the issue is never going to be resolved. NEVER. The best thing that may come out after negotiations in a peaceful environment will be an eyewash. And I’m sure the government had anticipated the violence, it goes again to show how hollow politicians these days have become, promise everything, never deny anything to the public, resort to every lie you can to get elected and then backtrack. These days you can’t get pragmatic politicians get elected, because these filthy double talkers promise to get everything for the population, while the leaders who talk sense are shunned by the inane voters.
I am angered at the fact that politicians can get away without fulfilling anything in the election agenda. All politics has become is a show of personality.</p>
<p>The info on Chinese college entrance is outdated.</p>
<p>Because of vastly increased enrollment quotas and the declining college-age population, starting 2011 or 2012, Chinese universities will have more slots than the numbers of students who take the entrance exams!</p>
<p>In Nepal, they had increased exam fee from $1.5 to $2 and we had a protest. Expenses of students is pretty serious thing, I guess!!!</p>