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| Students in Portsmouth count cost of university fees Students in Lib Dem stronghold of Portsmouth fear tuition fee rises will price them out of university educationFor Lauren Harris, a clever and articulate 20-year-old student at Highbury College in Portsmouth, it is clear-cut. If the price of a university education rises by as much as is feared, she will not be able to go."I don't want to start my working life knowing I have a huge debt hanging over me," she said. "I'm not willing to have that. I'd have to go and get a job."She is already £5,000 in the red, having invested in a two-year foundation course at Highbury. Many students here come from families who do not traditionally go to university.The college works hard to encourage its students to aspire to university but its careers advisers know that aspect of their job is about to get much harder.Kimberley Barber, 27, in the second year of a foundation degree in professional media production, may miss out. "I don't have rich parents and I work two jobs – in a call centre and a cafe – so I can study here." She is hoping to spend just one year at university, but even that may be beyond her finances."If suddenly we're going to have to get a loan of £7,000 or more, I won't be able to afford it. I've invested so much so far but I'd have to get a job."Barber voted Liberal Democrat at the general election. At her polling station she came across many students voting for the first time. "I think a lot of them went for the Lib Dems because they were swayed by their policies on student funding. But I don't think they've done anything about it."Portsmouth is a Lib Dem stronghold. The party controls the city council and held Portsmouth South at the general election, though the Tories took Portsmouth North from Labour.The Portsmouth South MP, Mike Hancock, is against an increase in tuition fees and told the Guardian he would not vote for anything that "worsens the plight of students". But his defiance may be cold comfort for Luke Le-Mage, 17, studying art and design at Highbury. He had planned to save for two years to go to university. "Perhaps it's going to take a little longer if you're going to be looking at a debt of £50,000 in all."Michelle Spencer, 42, wants to study fine art at Winchester or Chichester, but won't be able to if tuition fees rise dramatically. She likes the idea of a graduate tax. "People wouldn't be put off so much then if it was just a bit taken out of their wages spread over a period of time. That would be better."Spencer's children, aged 13 and 16, will soon be thinking about university too. "It's quite frightening," she said.Software development students David Roberts and Tony Udoh, 17 and 18, are determined to go to university even if it costs £50,000. "In this job environment you need a degree to make you stand out," said Roberts. He is considering studying in Portsmouth, Southampton or Winchester. Most students plan to stay near home as it is cheaper.Richard York, 24, is sleeping on a friend's floor while he studies music technology and photography at Highbury. He works at a fried chicken takeaway and helps run a mobile disco.York wants to work in music, and is still determined to do a degree. But he is angry at the prospect of so much debt. "The government should be there to help us. We're in a recession and they should be helping us to get work."Tuition feesUniversity fundingHigher educationCollegesFurther educationSteven Morrisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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