Higher Education, as it currently stands, results in a large number of students signing up specifically in order to get a degree at the end of it. Without that piece of paper, the learning might as well have been worth nothing.

While not everyone goes to uni to improve their CV, I can’t imagine more than an insignificant proportion of students dropping out at the end just to miss out on paying a graduate tax, even if they studied *solely* to learn. This would be especially true what with taxes only kicking in when people are earning over £15,000 (around $24-25k at time of writing). Even then, the tax would be minimal, as it increases only as earning increase.

In terms of getting payments out of the way up front, that’s the current way of doing it. Student loans pay the fees and graduates pay back each month (again, once earning a suitable salary). However, with the possibility of large hikes in fees coming up, as well as variable fees on the horizon (not even considering the possibility of higher interest rates…), there’s a danger that loans would not be repayable by many. Those who could not repay would forever have a large debt looming over them with no way of getting rid of it.

With high debts, high interest rates, and high prices to pay, the chances of increasing widening participation succeeding are slim. Yes, there are concerns regarding the NUS Blueprint as it stands…for instance, some students could go to university for a laugh, to waste a bit of time and mess around. These students may finish uni without graduating, and thus not paying the tax; the danger you outline in your comment. Alternatively, they could graduate and pay very little, if any, back in tax over the years (perhaps resulting in high-earners paying for these students based on their large contributions).

Despite the concerns, I believe the NUS Blueprint is a worthy alternative to the current fees system. If a better alternative to a graduate tax is suggested, I’ll be just as excited to champion that. And the more discussion there is regarding funding HE, the better we should find a system that is reasonable and fair for all. As it stands, I don’t like the idea that fees could epically rise and damage both widening participation and the state of HE in the UK. Both things deserve better.