Background information:
On the 28th November 2013 the government
announced they would be slashing the National Scholarship Program from £150m to
£50m. This has meant that all institutions have had to reassess the bursaries
they offer. Following successful lobbying from Liverpool Guild of Students over
the last few years the University of Liverpool have offered a wide range of
bursaries, more of which can be found here.
The University is required to submit its proposals for the
new offer on Monday 16th December and we want to demonstrate student
support for keeping the level of scholarships and bursaries high enough to
support students to excel here in Liverpool. Sign below if you agree the
University should plug the gap left by government cuts and lobby the government
to increase provision.
Dear Vice Chancellor
We the undersigned
believe the University should cover the reduction in Government funding from
the National Scholarship Program andoffer all bursaries, as outlined in
the initial 2014/15 access agreement, as cash payments. We have taken this
position because we believe it is best for students and the institution, for
the following reasons.
Current
applicants’ expectations - We are concerned that as we are mid application cycle applicants
will already have familiarised themselves with the University’s bursary offer
and will have an expectation of receiving a certain level of award. Liverpool
has led the way in the Russell Group for widening participation, and we believe
that any reduction in bursaries, or their size could jeopardise this.
We are
also concerned that any attempt to notify applicants of changes is unlikely to
reach everyone, and so applicants may accept a place at the University on the
basis of a bursary offer that is no longer in place. This could have an impact
on retention and student satisfaction.
Increasing
financial awareness - Linked to the above point, we are aware that students, and their
parents, are increasingly concerned about living costs. We are concerned that, as students rightly become more aware of the
different institutional bursaries on offer to them, that they will increasingly
use this as a factor in their decision making. If the University does not offer
a competitive bursary then this may make it increasingly difficult to hit the
challenging recruitment targets.
Retention
and performance - NUS research has indicated that the more students are concerned
about their finances, the more difficult it is for them to achieve academic
excellence. It is clear from this that, where we can reduce financial pressures
on students, it will help them reach their potential and enhance the
University.
We are
aware that, for many students, the greatest barrier to accessing and excelling
at a Russell Group University are financial pressures. We would urge the
University to lead the way in lobbying the Government to provide the correct
resources to support students’living costs.
The University of Liverpool is renowned for being one of the more welcoming Russell Group institutions to students from every background. Please commit to giving the same amount of financial support to those who need it to allow students to continue their education and fulfil their potential, regardless of social 'class'.