Report

Hidden voices

Think tank: HEPI

Author(s): Claire Callender; Ariane de Gayardon

November 25, 2021

This report from UK think tank HEPI looks at graduates’ perspectives on the student loan system in England.

England’s higher education funding system has been reformed many times, leading to a system based on high fees and loans. Undergraduate tuition fees for full-time students were introduced in 1998 and rose to £3,000 a year in 2006, increasing further to £9,000 in 2021. Through a series of in-depth interviews, this report from Professor Claire Callender and Dr Ariane de Gayardon explores the views of 48 graduates from the 2006 funding regime and 50 graduates from the 2012 funding regime, with the results providing much needed insights into graduates’ perspectives of the English student loan system.