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The UK will be holding a general election on 8 June 2017. The Prime Minister, Theresa May, surprised many by calling for an early vote and the decision has now been confirmed by Parliament.
So, what could this mean for postgraduate students? And are there any surprises in store for your Masters or PhD?
The simple answer is that major changes to postgraduate fees and funding are unlikely - particularly in the short term. Masters loans have already been introduced across the UK and postgraduate tuition costs aren't capped by the government.
But other student issues may play an important role in a campaign that will focus heavily on the 'Brexit' process: including its effect on EU and international postgraduates studying in the UK.
We'll be keeping a close eye on any issues that could affect Masters and PhD students. This will include a careful 'postgraduate analysis' of each party's 2017 manifesto promises.
For now, we've answered some of the initial questions you might have about the coming election and its possible outcomes:
UK Masters and PhD fees are set by universities, with no minimum or maximum limit enforced by the Government. This is different to undergraduate fees, which are subject to a 'cap' of £9,250 for domestic students at most universities.
So far no party has pledged to regulate postgraduate fees. As a result, the election is not likely to directly impact the amount you pay for a UK Masters or PhD in the near future.
UK Masters degree loans were introduced for English students in 2016. PhD loans are planned for 2018.
This funding has been part of a general election campaign before. It was planned by the 2010-2015 Coalition Government and was part of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat manifestos for the 2015 election. The current Conservative Government introduced English Masters loans in 2016 and recently confirmed its plans for doctoral loans in 2018.
The Conservative party may reiterate its support for postgraduate loans going into the 2017 election, but other parties are unlikely to pledge any significant changes to this new system.
In principle, a new government could alter or abandon the plans for PhD loans in 2018. This is unlikely as there has been no major opposition to the policy and it is broadly supported by universities.
The 2017 General Election will only elect the UK Parliament, in Westminster. Student finance in other parts of the UK is controlled by the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This means that Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish postgraduate loans will not be directly affected by the coming election.
EU students are covered by fee and funding guarantees for courses beginning in 2017 in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England has recently extended these assurances to courses beginning in 2018-19. This means that, if you start a postgraduate degree in the UK in the coming academic year, you will pay the same fees as a British student and have access to student loans.
The election will not alter these guarantees, but it could reveal more about plans for the future. In particular, it could indicate what outcome individual parties might seek from the Brexit process.
An end to 'free movement' for EU nationals is possible as part of a 'hard Brexit'. This would probably lead to EU students being treated as international postgraduates (with higher fees and more limited funding).
Current opposition parties are likely to seek a 'softer Brexit' that might maintain present rights for EU students.
We'll know more once all of the parties have published their 2017 manifestos. As always, this blog and our newsletter will keep you updated.
The current Conservative Government has been committed to controlling international student recruitment by including overseas students in reduced net migration targets.
Speeches at the 2016 Conservative Party Conference suggested this might be done through restricting student visas for some universities.
However, reports suggest the Government may be relaxing this plan as it seeks to complete other higher education reforms before the 2017 Election.
This could mean separating students from overall migration figures, or finding different (and more lenient) ways to measure international student numbers.
We won't know exactly what (if anything) the UK's political parties plan for postgraduate students until they publish their 2017 manifestos.
But we can get some sense of their possible policies by looking at manifestos for 2015.
Ahead of the last election:
Of course, these were policy pledges for 2015. Policies for 2017 are likely to reflect the importance of Brexit. However, this could mean that EU and international students have an important place in all parties' plans and pledges.
Whatever the outcome of the 2017 general election, it won't make an immediate change to students starting a postgraduate degree next year.
EU and international students will still be able to study abroad in the UK in 2017 and postgraduate loans and international funding will still be available to help you do so.
Any changes that do emerge are likely to concern longer-term policy on EU and international student recruitment. We'll be keeping a close eye on these, with a postgraduate analysis of the main parties' 2017 manifestos to follow on this blog.
We'll be working hard to keep postgraduate students informed about the election issues that matter to them, just as we keep track of the ongoing impact of Brexit. Our newsletter will be the best way of staying updated. In the meantime, we strongly encourage UK students to register to vote.