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What Would a Reform Government Mean for Higher Education?

This HEPI guest blog was kindly authored by Fred Jacques, a Year 12 student who recently completed a week of work experience at HEPI.

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With Reform UK gaining meaningful ground in recent elections and opinion polls, the possibility of a future Reform government is becoming more real. The party doesn’t talk much about education, focusing instead on issues like immigration and net zero that win votes. But what are Reform’s plans for higher education, and how would those plans affect things? Their 2024 manifesto doesn’t have a lot of detail, but it outlines a few proposals that suggest what a Reform government might do. They promised to:

• bar international student dependents
• make universities provide two-year undergraduate courses
• cut funding for universities that undermine free speech; and
• scrap interest on student loans.

Scrapping tuition fees for STEM degrees

Additionally,in an interview with ITV after the manifesto came out, Nigel Farage said he’d abolish tuition fees for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees, but keep them for other courses. While this wasn’t in the 2024 manifesto,it was in Farage’s 2015 UKIP manifesto,suggesting it’s an idea he’s had for a long time and might implement if Reform wins power.

This proposal is meant to attract more students to these fields, but it might not work.In his HEPI report, Peter Mandler argues that the recent increase in STEM degrees – the ‘swing to science’ – is due to many things: changes in population and culture, how people see job prospects, and what subjects students choose at A level. Government policy isn’t as influential as these factors.So, since the swing to science is already happening because students want these degrees, this policy isn’t even necesary, especially considering how expensive it would be. If Reform really wants to speed up this trend, improving achievement in secondary schools to address poor A level results might be more effective than focusing on STEM at the degree level.

Even if it doesn’t attract more students to STEM courses, the policy could still speed up the decline in popularity of arts and humanities degrees. Those with arts or humanities A levels are unlikely (and probably unable) to switch to STEM degrees, meaning the policy could simply divert students from one area to another, rather than increasing overall student numbers. This could lead to fewer people studying vital subjects like history, literature, and philosophy, which contribute considerably to society and the economy.

Furthermore, the policy could exacerbate existing inequalities. students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to have the resources to pursue STEM subjects at A level, meaning they would be disproportionately affected by the removal of tuition fees for STEM degrees. this could create a two-tiered system,where STEM education is accessible only to those who can afford it.

Other potential impacts

Reform’s other proposals could also have significant consequences for higher education. Banning international student dependents could reduce the number of international students, which would have a negative impact on university finances. Cutting funding