According to a government leatter regardsing future funding cuts, the number of applicants to universities will be cut by 10,000 by 2012. Although extra 10,000 places was foundwere funded this year for pupils willing to enter universities, one in three candidates missed out a place because of the fierce competition.
Today ministers have claimed that funding for university teaching would be decreased by £300m and the grant for research by £100m next year. Ministers have said that teenagers would be provided with an extra 10,000 places the next year but starting with 2012 this number would be withdrawn. The universities minister considers that this reduction is not significant as the universities would face a surge in applicants by 2012.
David Willetts mentioned in his
essay papers: "Our provisional plan is that the extra 10,000 places that were there this year, and will be next year, will not be available in 2012. Of course, by then we are past the demographic bulge so there is a modest demographic decline, which means that proportionately this is not a significant reduction.
According to a funding letter, universities will charge greater tuition fees from autumn 2012 while the teaching grant will be cut. As the fees will be raised and the cuts for teaching and research introduced, the total funding to universities will be decreased to £9.1bn by 2012.
