Letter: High price of a university degree

Letter: High price of a university

degree

Sir: Your coverage of the recently-published Dearing report has been admirable - with one exception - your correspondent's claim that graduates will incur debts of pounds 5,000 for three years' living expenses (report, 24 July).

I'd like to see Lucy Ward pay for accommodation, books, stationery and field trips, let alone food or the occasional pint out of that sum. With rent, bills and food totalling around pounds 2,000 per year - not including the summer vacation - and reading lists starting at around pounds 150 per year for the very lucky, I feel my modest expenditure of pounds 3,000 per year over the past three years is a more realistic starting figure.

The class of '98-'99 can expect to owe something more in the region of pounds 12,000-pounds 15,000 on graduation - a wonderful welcome to the "real" world, I'm sure you'll agree.

LOUISE FAIRBAIRN

(3rd year student at St Andrew's University)

Alnwick, Northumberland