1. Funding PG Study in the UK: issues of widening participation
Dr. Tony Strike

2. Contents What the Government and HEFCE have announced
Sheffield-led Consortium action and findings
How the sector and students may respond
20/09/2018
© The University of Sheffield

3. Postgraduate Support Scheme
Pilots:
Postgraduate Support Scheme
£25m HEFCE funding
20 pilot projects
Findings intended to inform:
Institutional practice
Government policy and funding
Future research
Chance for evidence based policy

4. Postgraduate Support Scheme
: A transitional year
Postgraduate Support Scheme
£50m HEFCE funding
10,000 awards of £5k
Requires £5k matched funding from institution / other sources
Awards of £10k to be allocated to 10,000 students

5. Postgraduate Support Scheme:
Postgraduate Support Scheme
Awards should be allocated to students who are:
from a group that is evidently under-represented among the institution’s taught masters population.
progressing from an undergraduate course for which they were charged the higher tuition fee applying since
undertaking Masters courses in any subject

6. Government-backed loans
From
Government-backed loans
£10k loan contribution towards costs
Minimal public subsidy as on average, individuals will re-pay in full
Re-paid concurrently with any UG loan
Eligible to students who are:
undertaking masters courses in any subject
domiciled in England or European Union (EU)
aged under 30 (most difficulty accessing finance).

7. Widening Access to Postgraduate Study and the Professions

8. 3. Information Advice and Guidance 4. Understanding the Student
Four Project Strands
1. Access to Finance
2. Academic Innovation
3. Information Advice and Guidance
4. Understanding the Student
To develop, pilot and evaluate models of financing for postgraduate taught (PGT) study.
To develop new academic products in order to encourage access, fairness, social mobility and the sustainability of PGT provision.
To develop and implement targeted interventions to provide IAG to students to help attract and retain quality candidates.
To develop an understanding of motivations and barriers to PGT study for students, employers and funders through qualitative and quantitative data analysis. To model the widening participation (WP) characteristics of postgraduate taught students.

9. Scholarship Scheme £3.5 million scholarships for 2014 entry
Aimed at under represented groups and postgraduate taught programmes
Awards typically £10K
Match funding
Scholarships:
£2.4 million in scholarships 50/50 match HEFCE and HEIs
Each institutions is piloting a different scheme
Aimed at under represented groups, including UG widening participating criteria such as LPN postcode, full UG grant recipients and other more specific criteria such as women in engineering
Through the six pilots there are a variety of awards including bursaries and fee waivers. Awards typically range £10,000 - £15,000 but there are a smaller awards available through the various schemes. Some awards are restricted to UK applicants while others are open to EU.
Discussions with Alumni offices, industry and funding bodies about potential future match for PG scholarships to ensure sustainability of the schemes.

10. Eligibility Differences
We targeted returners as much as UG progression
We included all PG courses (including PG Certs and PG Diplomas)
Didn’t have an ELQ rule
Targeted access to the professions
No age bar
Scholarships:
£2.4 million in scholarships 50/50 match HEFCE and HEIs
Each institutions is piloting a different scheme
Aimed at under represented groups, including UG widening participating criteria such as LPN postcode, full UG grant recipients and other more specific criteria such as women in engineering
Through the six pilots there are a variety of awards including bursaries and fee waivers. Awards typically range £10,000 - £15,000 but there are a smaller awards available through the various schemes. Some awards are restricted to UK applicants while others are open to EU.
Discussions with Alumni offices, industry and funding bodies about potential future match for PG scholarships to ensure sustainability of the schemes.

11. Choosing Criteria
Available and verifiable: not educational level of parents, those from migrant family backgrounds, access to family capital or levels of social engagement (social capital.)
Current not historic: maintenance grant from the Student Loan Company OR in receipt of income support
Scholarships:
£2.4 million in scholarships 50/50 match HEFCE and HEIs
Each institutions is piloting a different scheme
Aimed at under represented groups, including UG widening participating criteria such as LPN postcode, full UG grant recipients and other more specific criteria such as women in engineering
Through the six pilots there are a variety of awards including bursaries and fee waivers. Awards typically range £10,000 - £15,000 but there are a smaller awards available through the various schemes. Some awards are restricted to UK applicants while others are open to EU.
Discussions with Alumni offices, industry and funding bodies about potential future match for PG scholarships to ensure sustainability of the schemes.

12. Measure & Number of Participants
Criteria for Selection
Criteria
Measure & Number of Participants
Financial
Applicants previous undergraduate status (the applicant was in receipt of a full fee waiver as an undergraduate) OR was in receipt of a maintenance grant from the Student Loan Company OR was in receipt of a means tested bursary as an undergraduate depending on the institution or looked at the applicants current financial status; for example, in receipt of income support 6
Deprivation Data
the Index of Multiple Deprivation, POLAR3 or living in a low participation neighbourhood based on postcode 5
School achievement
School achievement data for the year in which the applicant sat their GCSEs or equivalent, compared with the national average. 1
First generation applicant
First member of the family to go to University 2
Socio-economic classification of occupation of main wage-earner
UK National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC) category of parent, at the point when the applicant was aged 14.

13. Measure & Number of Participants
Criteria for Selection
Criteria
Measure & Number of Participants
Local Authority Care background
In most cases was an automatic qualifier for the scholarship being awarded, for example, to have been in local authority care for at least 13 weeks and under the age of 25 on the course start date. 6
Out of HE
Students who have been out of HE study for more than two years 1
Disability
Receipt of DSA (Disabled Students’ Allowances) as an undergraduate student and/or currently receiving DLA (Disability Living Allowance), Attendance Allowance or a PIP (Personal Independence Payment). 5
Under-representation
Including for example women in science or engineering or ethnic minorities in arts and humanities. These factors caused debate about the line, if indeed one exists, between widening participation, fair access and broader equality goals. 3
Carer
 Carer for an ill or disabled family member

14. Which criteria were met most by the 1726 eligible applicants
Institution/
Criteria
Total
Financial Status (6)
1321
Deprivation (6)
553
School Achievement (1) 87
First Generation Applicant (2)
494
Care Background (6) 11
Out of HE (1)
104
Disability (4)
132
Carer (2) 6
Under-representation (3) 42

15. Scholarship Numbers Institution
Number of scholarships available (awarded)
Number of eligible applications A
60 (68)
360 B
50(70)
302 C
40(50)
239 D
90(99)
304 E
50(79)
177 F
60(68)
344
Total
350(434)
1,726

16. Holly: the power of IAG
I spent most of my childhood in foster care and for many years felt disengaged from the educational system. But with some coaxing and support I realised I would lose more by not trying.
20/09/2018
© The University of Sheffield

17. Emma: Scholarship support
For the first eighteen years of my life I grew up with my mum in a council block of flats. For the first time in my life it seemed that working hard would not be enough. I needed £10,000. Needless to say that being here would not have become a reality without the Postgraduate Support Scheme.
20/09/2018
© The University of Sheffield

18. Becky: Employability and Skills
They really do know what employers are looking for and tailor the modules so that you know when you leave, you will be equipped with the latest skills and how to apply them.
20/09/2018
© The University of Sheffield

19. Findings which support the new scholarship scheme
We can develop criteria, launch and develop a PGT scholarship scheme
We can match fund a state contribution
Widening participation criteria can be operated successfully
There is demand from eligible applicants

20. Those who can benefit most face the greatest barriers
Graduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds were more likely to intend to go on to Master’s study and less likely to do so
Postgraduates fund their study from personal savings, gifts from family and employment so loans will displace this at the taxpayers risk
Debt adversity among lower socio-economic groups may mean they do not benefit

21. How the sector and students may respond?

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24. 18-20 year-olds in the UK 2005-06 to 2020-21 20/09/2018
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25. Likely Academic Innovations
More academic product!
A focus on progression to PG
The death of PG certificate/diploma version of courses as a stepping stone to Masters
The death of two year PGT programmes
More block learning and distance or blended learning
More Integrated Masters (3+1) counter to Bologna
20/09/2018
© The University of Sheffield

26. Integrated Masters
The Institute of Fiscal Studies said that under concurrent repayment postgraduates in work would face a 50% marginal tax rate
(20% income tax, 12% National Insurance, a 9% repayment of their undergraduate loan plus a 9% repayment of their postgraduate loan.)
20/09/2018
© The University of Sheffield

27. Closing points
Loss of commercial solutions (Banks, Credit Unions, Crowdsourcing etc)
Continuing arguments for a role for WP and student finance at PGT level (which loans alone will not address)
Large and growing slice of electorate will carry educational debts
20/09/2018
© The University of Sheffield

28. Chapter Reference:
Tony Strike, ‘Improving Access to Postgraduate Study in England’ in
Rosalind Pritchard, Matthias Klumpp and Ulrich Teichler, eds. ‘Diversity and Excellence in Higher Education: Can the Challenges be Reconciled?’ Rotterdam: Sense, 2015.
20/09/2018
© The University of Sheffield