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As bank talks to BIS, critics ask how a 'risk-share' plan will further fair access. John Morgan writes.
One of the UK's biggest banks has put forward to ministers a proposal for a postgraduate student loans system based on a "risk-share" scheme with universities, Times Higher Education has learned.
The scheme, which has been suggested by Barclays, would aim to counter the gap in public funding for taught postgraduates, a situation previously described in a government report as a barrier to social mobility.
However, the details being put forward indicate that lending may depend on the "earnings track record" of graduates, potentially limiting it to certain students, according to one critic.
To the dismay of many in the sector, the lack of a funding system for postgraduates - who are not eligible for the publicly subsidised loans offered to undergraduates - was not addressed in either the Browne Review or last year's higher education White Paper.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England has been asked by the government to "examine...