Wealthy families to 'buy' student university placements

The Guardian reported last night that teenagers from the wealthiest families would be able to pay for extra places at the most competitive universities, thanks to government proposals that could allow institutions to charge some British students the same high fees as overseas undergraduates are currently charged.

Under this scheme, any students who decided to take up these extra places would not be eligible for publicly funded loans to pay for their tuition fees or living costs, thus the scheme limits itself to all but the most privileged households across the country.

Under the plans, these 'extra' places could cost students between £12,000 and £28,000 per year, depending on the subject chosen for study. Whilst the scheme would given more students the chance to attend their first choice of university, it would do so at a huge cost.

Ministers have argued that the creation of these 'extra' places will "boost social mobility by freeing up more publicly subsidised places for undergraduates from poorer homes." The universities minister, David Willetts, told the Guardian: "There are various important issues that need to be addressed around off-quota places, but I start from the view that an increase in the total number of higher education places could aid social mobility.

"There would need to be arrangements to make sure any such system was fair and worked in the interests of students as well as institutions. But it is not clear what the benefit is of the current rules, which, for example, limit the ability of charities or social enterprises to sponsor students.

"We are inviting ideas on the whole concept and we will listen very carefully to all the responses we receive."