University of Liverpool

1 Will you charge:
A Top-up fees across the board maximum (?3,000)
B A flat rate for all courses below ?3,000. (If so, what is it)
C Different rates for different courses.(If so, please specify range - ie minimum/maximum)


2 If you are varying fees will they be:
A Lower for Sciences
B Lower for Arts/Humanities/social sciences
C Lower for foundation degrees
D Lower for vocationally-focused degrees
E A combination, please state (areas or specific courses)
N/A


3 Are you introducing bursaries?
A Yes
B No


4 How much for?
"It will be a substantial proportion of our extra income but we haven't decided beyond that."


5 If yes, will they be:
A Targeted at the most needy students
B Targeted at subjects which are short of students
C A mixture, please detail


6 If yes, are they funded
A From central university funds
B From a benefactor, private donations, etc?
C A mixture
"But mostly A."


7 Have you employed outside agencies to help you make the decision (market researchers/brand managers)?
A Yes
B No "We've taken advice on local subject demand and we'll listen carefully to what outsiders have to say about our own profile in the market."


8 Where will you spend the extra income?
A Better student facilities
B Better academic facilities
C Better academic pay "With the agreements under negotiation, we'll have to spend some on pay."
D Bursaries - yes
E Bumping up research capacity
F Other, please state
"I think the amount available immediately isn't likely to provide much scope in the short term. The key thing is that indirect gains to the general academic profile and to research in particular, if they happen, are going to be long-term spin off benefits of things like higher bursaries and better pay."


9 Will top-up fees provide enough extra income for the university for the foreseeable future?
A Yes
B No. "Not by a very long way. The shortfall is really very considerable. Infrastructure is the key thing which it certainly won't provide for."


10 How long do you expect the limit on top-up fees to remain at ?3,000?
A 1-3 years
B 4-6 years
C 7-10 years
D Over 10 years
"We simply don't know."


11 Do you think top-up fees will put less well-off students off going to university?
A Yes
B No
"But it will all depend on the amount of publicity work that's done to help them understand the system. We as a university put a lot of effort into that."


12 How do you think Offa will affect your attempts to widen participation?
A Help
B Hinder
C Have no effect
D Undecided, please state


"But we do have worries. We worry that the need to take decisions, which vary between institutions and regions, and even in particular business cycles, might be hamstrung by central control. It's the central one size that fits all model, and it doesn't often work."