UK Government Cracks Down On "Rip-Off Degrees": All You Need To Know

The UK government has said it will crack down on what is calls "rip-off degrees". According to Sky News, the Rishi Sunak-led government wants a cap on the number of students who study in universities that offer such degrees. The limits will be imposed on courses that have high dropout rates or a low proportion of graduates getting a professional job. The UK government has also reduced the fee for classroom-based courses from 9,250 pounds to 5,760 pounds, the outlet further said.

In a statement on the issue, the UK's education department had said that it will instruct the Office for Students (OFS) to restrict admission to university courses that do not reliably lead to positive student outcomes.

"The majority of UK universities are globally renowned, yet a select few courses on offer are contributing to graduates burdened with debt, facing uncertain career prospects, and underwhelming earnings," the statement had further said.

The plans were set in motion in response to the Augar review, established by former UK PM Theresa May in 2017.

The report had recommended many changes, including reducing the tuition fees with an aim to reduce the number of "low value" courses leaving students with poor job prospects.

"Too many young people are being sold a false dream and end up doing a poor quality course at the taxpayers' expense that doesn't offer the prospect of a decent job at the end of it," Mr Sunak had said about the initiative in July.

"This will help more young people to choose the path that is right to help them reach their potential and grow our economy," he had further said.