Call for Proposals
Download a PDF of the full second call for evidence (PDF, 176 KB)
Extract of the first page:
Lord Browne: Chair of the Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance
The aim of this paper is to seek proposals for the future funding of teaching within the UK higher education system, as part of the work of the Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance.
This paper has been developed in light of the responses received to the Independent Review’s first call for evidence, which sought views on the strengths and weaknesses of the current system of higher education teaching funding and student finance. We received a rich variety of submissions to this call for evidence, over 80 in total. These are available in full on our website.
In addition to looking at the returns to the first call for evidence, the Review Panel1 has met with a wide range of people with an interest in higher education. The Advisory Forum to the Review has met twice to guide us as to what works and what does not in the present system; we have held two days of public hearings (videos of which are available on our website); and we have reviewed the wide range of higher education research produced in recent years in this country and abroad. We have also met with student and pupil representative groups and will continue to seek their views in coming months.
Based on this work, we set out here the pressures and trends that may be relevant to the case for reform of the existing system; we highlight what seem to be the key component features around which a reformed system may be constructed; and provide some potential criteria against which proposals for reform may be evaluated.
Throughout this document, we are motivated by the understanding that the challenge before us is to make recommendations that treat the system of higher education teaching funding and student finance as a whole. No component part of the system can be considered in isolation and, in looking at how each interacts with other parts of the system, there will be clear trade-offs to be made.
We ask respondents to this call for proposals to pick up the same challenge that we have set ourselves of looking at the system as a whole. We do not assume that there are easy answers available for this Review to find. The higher education system is complex; its affects many people and functions at the intersection of many different interests. The reality of future public spending constraints is now being felt as well, after several years of increasing funding. Nevertheless we want to provide solutions that are both ambitious and sustainable in the long-term. We ask for your help in making recommendations that will ensure our universities and colleges are internationally competitive, financially sustainable, with fair access for all.