will drama school fees go up next year?

[LiveTheDream..x]

Just wondering as the arts funding has lowered?
and also uni prices are going up SO much next year? possibly 7 grand per year !
anybody know anything about this?

[Genevieve]

no sorry. but I am absolutely furious at the Government giving license to Universities to name their fees - it's going to totally discriminate against the majority of students and their families being able to afford for them to experience university life and University will become elitist - It's hard enough with the current fees and loans, and the debt that students are already having to burden themselves with - I have never gone on any march or campaigned against anything before...but I will on this....it's totally irresponsible and severely detrimental to the future of any student when this hits school leavers in 2012.

Sorry.....I don't know about funding, that's a real worry...I guess any drama school who's entry is via UCAS can also bump their fees up as they wish, regardless of the standard of the University !

[Welsh Mum]

I think that most places will hike their fees as far as they can. I feel sorry for anyone not going to uni/drama school till 2012 - huge debt to repay, and acting notoriuosly uncertain jobwise.

I think the wealthy will be OK, they will have parental backing. There will be grants for the poor applicant. It's those in the middle who will be squezzed the most.

[shortguy]

US as usual

DD had thought about maybe taking a gap year but now says it is not an option and must get a place next September - they say there will be record applications this year

[Welsh Mum]

Unfortunately there was a huge increase in applicants even before this announcement - about 160,000 extra who did not get plavces this year. I have been advising my students all week not to take gap years (althought I think they are a great idea) because of the huge increase in fees. So UCAS are forecasting record numbers of applicants thi time round

I feel very dismayed at this policy, i think loads of young people will be put off applying (and who can blame them not wanting to be £36,000-£60,000 in debt ) and I think in the future we may be facing real shortages in certain areas.

[sapphire]

This whole issue just makes me so mad

Think DD and DS will have to think very seriously about going to university - DD is due to start in 2012

Surely investment in educating future generations is essential - or I am just naive???

[songbird]

I feel its absolutely appalling -- to bring in measures like these with hardly any notice - some parents have probably been saving towards university costs for their kids and then without warning the cost is tripled with a years notice its so unfair and there is going to be a huge gap in the training of this generation - dont get me wrong I do not believe university is right for everyone as there are many who have taken academic courses that may have been more suited to apprentices or more practical courses and certainly more able to find steady employment at the end of their training but our education system has encouraged kids towards the academic choices up to year 9 for the last 10 years and many have make choices so early without any real understanding of the options and routes to employment its a shame ...

Seeing as the performing schools already change uncapped fees does that mean that the government will allow borrowing for those students too ?

I feel that the last `10 -15 years in educaion we have been pushing our kids to do better at sats and test test them and then when they make it to university we are saying sorry you are too poor to go and even if you do go there are very few jobs anyway ...... no wonder they live for today...... and where do they get their figures from most average income families are struggling to pay their gas and mortgage nowadays yet their kids wont get help for university - certainly the two parent family both working on average incomes are losing all the way loose out on family allowance no help with uni fees I wonder why we strive so hard to set a good example ....rant over sorry ..

[igloobabe]

Don't be, I agree with you 100%. Why ARE performing schools allowed to charge uncapped fees anyway? What is it about the show business/entertainment industry that allows it to get away with basically excluding all but the wealthy or the 'with connection folk'? I can't think of many other areas of employment that are so exclusive!
A really innovative government would regulate the industry and force them to offer free places to anyone with proven talent that matches or surpasses that of students able to pay. And by free places I mean free uniforms, books, costumes, equipment etc, because even these are too expensive for most average families.

[STEFFYSMUM]

my dd due to go to university in 2012. im just glad we live in scotland and hope we dont get hit with the same here . also glad shes chosen not to go along the drama route too.

[Genevieve]

The bloomin MPs who are in Government who are steering this are the very generation who had their fees paid , in the days when University was free, Cambridge, Oxford etc...they are not in touch with the real world, all they bang on about is that Students should be 'giving something back' following University Education - OH PERLEASE, they are totally out of touch with the younger generation and whilst they are constantly encouraging students to stay in further education as long as they can and accrue paper qualifications they now decide to hoist up fees for the very kind of education our children so want to be a part of - insane.
You still have undergraduates from last year who can't find jobs, and have debts amounting to £30,000 already...and an unprecedented number of students leaving this year who will be joining them...and because of the recession, even those companies who are willing to take on undergraduates, many are only offering 'unpaid' internships !
Expect fees to amount to around £9,000 then

[Grace125]

You still have undergraduates from last year who can't find jobs, and have debts amounting to £30,000 already...and an unprecedented number of students leaving this year who will be joining them...and because of the recession, even those companies who are willing to take on undergraduates, many are only offering 'unpaid' internships !
Expect fees to amount to around £9,000 then

that would be me then genevieve...and a lot of my friends (from a number of different universities and courses). in fact the only job i can get in my hometown is 4hrs a week on minimum wage as a sales assistant. i could have done that if i had failed my gcses! if i had had to pay 9000 a year i wouldnt have gone to university- i had to have 3 jobs whilst at uni+ a student loan to afford to go as it was! a degree is definitely not opening doors at the moment and i have tens of thousands of £ worth of debt to pay off...as good an experience as it was i think if i had to pay that much in fees it wouldnt be a worthwhile investment. i dont think i would have got my moneys worth at all.

[Genevieve]

you're very employable though, you've got experience of being in so many different working environments now too, so you've lots of transferable skills which employers like ... so its a case of waiting for the right job to come along, which I'm sure it will.
They think they've softened the blow now by saying that Uni students don't have to pay back their student loans now until they're earning over £20,000 - instead of the previous imit of having to pay the loan back once you starting earning £15,000 + , that's good of them but with the interests rates the debt goes up and up...
I think University, living on campus, is just an invaluable experience on so many levels - but it's completely ludicrous that students from 2012 going to university will now have added pressures when the fees increase come in to play.

[Genevieve]

My dd is on the march/protest today - school allowing those who want to go to leave school

[GypsyMumNot!]

Mine too Genevieve - Brit allowed anyone who wanted to go to leave at 10.30 & go. She is one of the 2012 hopefuls as well & she is determined to go down the MT/Drama school path.....gawd 'elp us all.....

[shortguy]

My DD also gone - college closed today for an open day so they have gone on mass!