Is money the solution to widening participation in higher education?

What students pay to study, and the support they receive, has been highlighted by Eurydice as a key aspect of the social dimension of higher education. Whatever the economic and political reality in a country, issues about fees are often highly charged, and recent student protests over proposed fees in South Africa are one recent case to illustrate this point. Altering the balance of fees and support is one of the key levers that governments are able to pull in an age when higher education institutions enjoy substantial autonomy. But in which direction should the levers be pulled to help the disadvantaged. More...