It's an interesting idea though it does sound complicated in practice. British universities are much, much less expensive compared to the US but even still, is it fair to ask a humanities or art student to pay the same tuition as a banker? In the US where an undergraduate education can easily be $20,000 - $50,000 per year it may make even more sense but again, how would this be possible to implement?
The Tory minister told an audience of university vice-chancellors that the government believed graduates who go on to lucrative jobs should pay more. A report earlier this week suggested that Lord Browne, who is looking at university finance, will reject a graduate tax in favour of letting universities raise tuition fees to £7,000. That could prove divisive for the coalition government, as 55 Liberal Democrat MPs have signed a pledge to vote against an increase in fees.When I look at the criminally expensive tuition in the US, it does make me wonder how anyone can afford it these days. I laugh now thinking of how I used to sweat it out each quarter when I had to write a check for $400, which climbed to $800 over the course of four years. I worked 40 hour weeks plus went to school full time and managed to afford it but those numbers sound like rounding errors today.
Willetts said: "I do believe it is better for the younger generation to have the chance of going to university – and then pay for that out of the higher earnings they achieve later on – rather than experiencing poorer quality HE or being deprived of the opportunity altogether. This has to make sense for young people."
In remarks made after the speech at Cranfield University, Willetts said the government was considering a graduate "contribution" rather than a tax, because of fears that the latter could encourage potential high-fliers to study abroad.
