Medical students call for details on fees value
31 January 2013
The BMA is calling for medical schools to provide more information on how they spend students’ tuition fees.
It argues that students paying annual tuition fees of £9,000 will expect a more formal and business-like service from higher education providers.
In its response to a Higher Education Funding Council for England consultation, the BMA points out that medical students will be paying these fees for at least four years.
Students will therefore want to be aware of all relevant information to allow them to determine whether they are getting value for money, and to hold institutions accountable if they feel they are not.
Good impression
BMA medical students committee joint deputy chair James Warwick said: ‘We support the idea of students knowing how their tuition fees are spent.
‘It will allow much greater transparency, and give students the knowledge to challenge the decisions universities make on where their money goes.
‘No university is going to want to give a bad impression to prospective students, and hopefully this would encourage all institutions to really think about what money is spent on.’
The BMA medical academic staff committee response acknowledges that spending patterns might not be the highest priority for prospective students.
But it maintains: ‘A higher education institution that can demonstrate that it is investing in new student resources, buildings, teaching staff, etc, will doubtless be more attractive to a prospective student.’