Durham degree students are being paid £2000 to stay on and study post-graduate courses — but will Kingston follow suit?
Durham University is set to award more than 100 scholarships of £2,000 to its ‘family’ of current undergraduate students. The move is a bid to keep undergraduates in education, and delay entry to the already saturated graduate jobs market. But will Kingston University follow in Durham’s footsteps to retain students, in an area which already incurs greater costs for living and study? According to Mercer’s 2008 cost of living survey, which measures the cost of over 200 items including accommodation, food and transport, in 143 cities across six continents, London is the world’s third most expensive city to live in. The halls of residence at Kingston University cost between £87.50 and £101.50 per week, and Kingston University’s taught masters’ courses cost from £3300 to £8000 and £15500 for the MBA course.A £2000 scholarship scheme would certainly be welcomed in the South-East. The university has also enjoyed a swell of applications, with 2000 extra prospective students applying to study on postgraduate courses next year— possibly a reflection on the current bleak market for graduate jobs. The High Fliers Research survey of 100 graduate firms found targets had been cut by an average of 17% this year. The research also found more than half of employers reduced their 2008 recruitment targets in response to the worsening economic crisis. Investment banks and other financial employers were the hardest hit and cut more than 2,500 entry-level positions from their recruitment targets last year. Universities Secretary John Denham said: “What do we do with them? We can't just leave people to fend for themselves.” Kingston University Alumni currently offer a limited amount of Scholarship funds to excellent students with offers at Kingston University, but this stills trails in the wake of Durham. Durham’s pro-vice-chancellor for learning and teaching, Professor Anthony Forster said: “We have some of the most employable graduates in the country, but this scholarship will give them a real chance to upgrade their skills and be in a better position to gain employment once they leave. It’s a tough economic environment in which to seek employment.” Current Kingston University postgraduate and Durham Sociology graduate, Gemma McIntosh said: “I think it’s a great incentive to encourage students to complete a masters’ degree as at the moment postgraduate study means getting further in debt, so with this scheme more students will continue their education. If it had been on offer last year lots of my friends would have considered staying on at Durham another year.” At present Kingston University have no plans to follow Durham’s lead, however students are encouraged to apply for a Kingston scholarship, follow the link follow the linkfollow the link Kingston University Annual Fund to find out more..
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