The face of higher education is changing in this country and this is most true for law students who now have more choice than ever.

First came the rise of the polytechnics who achieved university status in 1992 and now private institutions such as BPP and the University of Law are well and truly on the scene, challenging the dominance of ‘traditional’ red brick universities.

Is this a good thing? For the University and College Union the prospect of for-profit education will lead to a decline in quality as bosses seek to do what is best for their bottom line rather than staff and students. After all higher education is not just some commodity that you pick up off the shelf: it often represents the most transformative period of a person’s life and can impact on their professional career for years to come.

However as we discuss in this week’s podcast episode the importance of education actually serves to emphasise the important role played by the private sector. When you go to buy a car, a house or any other big purchase then you do your research and the same is true when it comes to picking a university to study at. If you were to attend an open day and the lecture halls were filthy, the staff were unfriendly and student satisfaction scores were low then the chances are you wouldn’t come back and neither would anyone else. In other words cutting corners doesn’t pay off but that doesn’t mean prices will go up. Instead as more organisations compete for a finite number of students the price will be another form of competition in the marketplace and we see that as alternative law courses are being offered such as two-year degrees and online only options.

Of course that doesn’t mean every man, dog and YouTuber should be allowed to set up their own uni (even if I would love to be the head of the Cleaver Institute!). It is important that there are checks on quality so that students are not being swindled but beyond that the only losers from this are those universities that can’t keep up.

Obiter

My last YouTube video of this academic year covers constructive trusts. Check it out here.

This blogpost that examines the value of the Law Society represents some interesting food for thought.

Lots of readers have exams in the upcoming weeks so best of luck to you! If you get worried then have a mantra that you can repeat and that inspires confidence. Taking long, deep breaths and repeating something like “I’ve got this.” can have a profound effect on your mood!