the OU is making a big fuss about this, as funding from the government will cease to be made to them for any student studying for a lower or equivilent qualification. I understand medicine is one of the exceptions.
Basically the unis won't get the money so they will have no choice but to pass on the cost. But, how will they know who already has a qualification??
here's the link to the petition:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ELQFunding/
From the OU site:
What has happened?
The Government has announced that, as of the next academic year, it will no longer be funding students in England and Open University students in Northern Ireland taking any Higher Education qualification that is equivalent to, or lower than, one they already hold. These students are being referred to as ELQ (Equivalent or Lower Qualification) students. This decision will have major funding implications for The Open University as ELQ students represent a substantial percentage of our student numbers.
There are some exemptions to the new draft policy including initial training for teachers, nurses, social workers and all foundation degrees. But we are convinced that across the sector the higher fees that institutions may have to charge will deter many graduates from university-level professional development. In our opinion discouraging institutions and students in this way runs counter to the Government’s priority to re-skill the nation’s workforce – a priority that we entirely support and currently excel in delivering.
