Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/56804

JaLCDOI : 10.14943/J.HighEdu.19.45

This paper focuses on the new tuition fee system that was introduced in England in the academic year 2006-07. This system acts as an income-contingent loan: students are not required to pay tuition fees at the beginning of their study, but can start repaying them as tax when their income exceeds a fi xed amount after graduation from the university. In theory, this system gives students from lower income groups the opportunity to attend university because they do not need to provide a large amount of money at the beginning of their study. In addition, the remaining debt of those who fail to earn high lifetime incomes is remitted 25 (or 30) years after graduation, thereby relieving students of their anxiety over their debt. Hence, this paper suggests that this English tuition fee system can give us a fresh perspective in terms of the expansion of opportunities for students from lower income groups.