The subject of rising tuition fees in the UK has been a hot topic of debate ever since the 2010 proposal and introduction by 64 universities across the country in 2012. Undergraduate students in the UK must now pay up to £9,000 per year, a staggering rise from the previous fees of around £3,000, and around £1,000 a year which was the norm from 1998-2004.
Despite amendments to additional financial support and loan repayments, some students are still struggling with the tuition fee hike. Such is the case for Nottingham girl, and current Miss Nottingham 2013, Hannah Higgins.
Hannah was unable to apply for a student loan from the Student Loans Company for her degree in Medicine at the University of Sheffield because she had already completed an undergraduate degree in Biosciences at the University of Leeds. She was then faced with a situation that most of us don’t have to deal with during our time at Uni: how to come up with £9,000 to continue with our education.
The 23 year-old decided to take matters in her own hands and entered HSBC’s bursary competition which had ten £10,000 bursaries to give away to cash-strapped students. She made a video explaining her situation that stood in the way of her reaching her goal of becoming a Doctor. With over 600 votes and the support of local Nottingham businesses, last week she became one of the lucky 10.
In an interview with the Nottingham Post, she said: “I burst into tears when I found out…I really wasn’t expecting it. I tried my hardest, and I just hoped for the best.”
Unfortunately her situation will continue as the HSBC funding only deals with her second year fees. She says, “I still need to raise some money for my third year but I’m absolutely thrilled – thank you so much to everyone who helped me get there.”
In her effort to complete her Medicine degree, Hannah currently splits her time between studying and working at Boots’ HQ here in Nottingham. She also has her own dressmaking business and has appeared on two television quiz shows in order to raise money.
With the remaining £1000 Hannah intends to do some research into the subject of tuition fees and students in the position of being unable to pay them. She hopes to learn whether being unable to pay the increased tuition fees is in fact turning potential higher education students away from attending University.
What do Her Campus Nottingham readers think about the controversial topic of increased tuition fees? Tweet us @HCNottingham!
Sources:
Edited by Caroline Chan