Business pressure mounts

The British government is seeking to follow the US model of allowing universities to charge variable top-up tuition fees to students which may vary according to institution and course chosen. The prospect has fuelled a fierce debate with many of the government's own MPs opposed to the proposed changes. Both alarm bells among some academics and fresh hope for cash-strapped universities have been raised. Concerns are nowhere greater than in science departments, whose courses are very much more expensive than many arts courses but students have been traditionally cushioned from the extra costs. The major fear is that if students are asked to pay the higher costs of science courses, many may choose a cheaper option. The Royal Society, Britain's science academy, is particularly worried. Variable top-up fees may drive students away from science courses already facing a recruitment crisis, the society warned last month. The chair of its education committee, Alistair MacFarlane, issued a statement saying that if universities were able to charge higher fees for science courses, it could seriously heighten their unpopularity. Nick Brown, a Labour MP, said opposition to the government's proposals to introduce variable top-up fees was threefold: " The manifesto promise not to introduce top-up fees was clear cut; the level of debt faced by poor students is too high; the proposition as currently framed will introduce a market into higher education, which I think is fundamentally wrong. " While some rebel MPs are turning towards support for the government's bill, attitudes are hardening amongst many, to the alarm of university managers. The quest for new funds for universities in Britain and elsewhere is forcing an increasingly hard-nosed approach by higher education institutes, writes Nigel Williams and below, Michael Gross reports on a new private German university hoping to make a profit for its shareholders.