The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 26 October 2012.
High proportion of UK students depressed by finances
StudentBeans.com, a money-saving website for students, has found that 20% of students in the UK felt depressed about their finances, and 37% felt anxiety over them. Money-saving strategies undertaken by students included socializing less, and cutting back on textbooks. Over 1,400 students completed the survey in which these findings were made, reports Varsity.
Erasmus student exchange program under threat
Budget cuts ordered by the EU Council of Ministers have put the Erasmus student exchange program under threat, reports University World News. However, a massive parliamentary majority voted to reverse the cuts this week. The budget is jointly controlled by the two bodies, which have entered into a period of negotiation which will conclude on the 9th of November.
UK government got sums wrong on tuition fee hikes, says research body
The Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) has claimed that the tripling of maximum tuition fees in the UK (for domestic and EU students) is likely to drain the public purse in the future, reports the BBC. The British fee model is based on tuition being covered by government loans which are then repaid by graduates once they are in work. However, Hepi warns that a combination of higher-than-expected average fees and overoptimistic expectations for graduate earnings mean that this system will cost more than initially thought.
Minnesota moves to reverse ban on free online education
The state of Minnesota has moved to reverse a policy that forbade its residents from taking free online courses, including MOOCs offered by the likes of edX and Coursera, reports The Register. The ban was intended to protect the state’s residents from low quality online offerings, but the high levels of publicity attracted by MOOCs, which are also considered to be a higher standard, has led to U-turn.
Students not shouldering increasing cost of tuition in the US, reports College Board
Though ‘sticker price’ is going up at US universities, students are not actually paying more, the College Board in the US has revealed in a new study. The body states that aid has gone up at an equivalent rate and students should use net price calculators to work out the true cost of university, reports US News and World Report.