UK: Thousands of university places may go to colleges

Up to 6,000 undergraduates will be taught at colleges instead of universities from next year as part of a UK coalition government plan to drive down student tuition fees, writes Graeme Paton for The Telegraph.

Figures from the House of Commons library suggest that colleges in areas such as Blackburn, Blackpool, Bradford, Grimsby, Hull, Manchester and Newcastle will be the biggest winners under new rules that penalise institutions charging the most for degree courses. At the same time, up to 2,300 places could be cut from elite Russell Group institutions.

The disclosure was made as part of Labour research into radical reforms to higher education funding in 2012. From next year, 20,000 places will be removed from universities across England and auctioned off to institutions with annual tuition fees of £7,500 (US$11,650) or less. While the majority will be awarded to low-cost universities, figures suggest that between 5,500 and 6,000 could go to dozens of further education colleges that offer degree-level qualifications.
Full report on The Telegraph site