I went to Uni nearly 50 years ago. I got fees paid and £240 (max) grant - say £2,000 in total. Full grant, although my parents had their own home but were in no way wealthy.

I paid tax at a higher rate for mostl of my working life.

I paid all the expenses for my 3 x sons whilst they were at Uni (no loans & no debts) - I did not pay fees as this was before Uni fees were thought of.

All 3 x sons are Higher rate taxpayers on their well above salaries ...............In their 30s their salaries dwarf my highest ever earnings of £60-£80K per year in the last 10 years of my working life.

Uni made a good return for me, for them and for the taxpayer - all 3 did engineering.

I think the way the fees/loans thing has been presented in the media misleads. In reality the repayments work in almost exactly the same way a graduate tax would. There are almost no circumstances, unlike a mortgage or car loan, in which the whole sum can fall due and payable forthwith. But it probably looks and feels like a millstone when you graduate at 21 owing considerably more than my first mortgage. Incidentally, does the amount of loan outstanding have any bearing on the amount of mortgage a first time buyer might get at say 26?

While loans/fees were the glue that held the demo together there’s plenty more for students and wider youth to protest about and quite right that they should do so. The demo passed within a block of where I work. It provided an interesting sideshow (and an opportunity to make sure our business continuity planning was in order).

Quite a few other posters seem to view a degree as simply a vocational qualification. While subjects such as the ‘usual suspect’ media studies may be dubious History (ancient, modern or mediaeval), English Lit and dozens of other academic subjects are perfectly reasonably state supported. A degree shows one has the ability to study, apply oneself, read & analyse and then report cogently on differing sources and a hundred and one other things as well. Perfectly good preparation for a career in sales, commerce or whatever.

One of the brightest lawyers I’ve worked with in the last thirty years had a first degree in classics, plenty of judges read stuff other than law too. Somebody else I knew could write concise focussed ministerial advice one minute and easy read guides for the public the next; her degree was in music.

Horses for courses.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 11/11/2011 at 14:17