Casey Brienza, Ph.D. candidate in the Sociology at the University of Cambridge, and Ernesto Priego, Ph.D. candidate in Information Studies at University College London, assess the impact of the planned higher-education budget cuts in the U.K. on students seeking Ph.D. and other postgraduate degrees

Yet lost in this debate is much in the way of discussion of postgraduate education and the future of research in the UK. Although Conservative-led “reform” is primarily directed at the block teaching grant for undergraduate education in the non-STEM subjects, its effects will not be confined to a transformation of the undergraduate experience. Postgraduate fees for domestic and EU students in most fields are also subject to a cap which will rise in line with those for undergraduates. Furthermore, given the concern that even a fee rise will not compensate for the loss in government funding, it seems inevitable that universities will seek to balance their accounts by enrolling even more non-EU overseas students, particularly into money-making postgraduate courses. In short, these policy decisions are sure to result in a huge collective rise in sticker price for all students seeking postgraduate degrees in England. (Read full statement.)