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One policy measure contributing to Labour gains at the election was the promise to do away with tuition fees. As noted in a recent Guradian article, many students are questioning the 'value' of university, at current fee/debt levels. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/aug/10/more-than-a-third-of-uk-graduates-regret-attending-university However things were a lot worse back in 1852 - when the annual cost of attendance at Oxford University (there wasn't so much choice of institutions then, but new 'vocational' tertiary educational institutions were springing up) was £600, fees and living costs - or £60,000 in today's prices. Coincidentally, though, if you were from a lesser artisan famliy (not the elite aristocracy) you could make do on ca. £500 (£50,000 now) a year and borrow the remaining £10,000 from tradesmen.....incurring a similar debt per year to today's UGs, see 1852 entry at http://fooddeserts.org/images/000EducationUniversity.htm Some prices, and wages, have shifted considerably over the years, but others remain quite close, in real terms, to what they have always been, http://fooddeserts.org/images/000price.htm DISCLAIMER-Any typos in this email are due to staying up till 4am to see the extent of Labour gains........ Dr Hillary J. Shaw Director and Senior Research Consultant Shaw Food Solutions Newport Shropshire TF10 8QE www.fooddeserts.org