UK Graduate Tax 英國的“畢業稅”

University Students May Have to Pay Graduate Tax 英國大學生畢業生可能需要付“畢業稅”

The UK government are proposing a graduate tax for students in the future.

Currently, students are lent money from the government to cover fees and they pay back the money once they are earning over ￡15,000 (130,000 yuan) a year.

The new scheme would see students repaying their tuition fees when they are working, through a graduate tax.

This proposal would see higher-earning graduates paying more and is said to be a fairer system.

At the moment there is an ongoing review into university fees and students are bracing themselves for the outcome.

Some have predicted that tuition fees could double, causing more and more students to worry about their personal student debt.

The union representing lecturers, the UCU, is worried that the graduate tax scheme would just be a "rebrand" for student debt and not change the current situation.

So what do students make of the graduate tax? Well the National Union of Students says they are pleased and see the proposal of a graduate tax as a milestone in a campaign to ensure fairer university funding.

The NUS want to make sure that graduate contributions are determined on actual earnings.

The government still have to look into how feasible the new scheme would be but they have stated that there needs to be a "radical re-think" on how the higher education system is funded.

They have called for other measures to cut the cost of university, such as two-year degrees, more part-time and flexible courses and more students living in their family home.

The announcement comes at the same time as thousands of people are set to miss out on a UK university place. This is due to a record increase in the amount of people applying to go into further education.