LECTURERS’ union UCU slammed plans yesterday committing students to a lifetime levy paying part of their earnings to the universities where they qualified.

The right-wing Institute of Economic Affairs proposes to privatise the system by replacing government-backed student loans with contracts where students pay universities a proportion of their lifetime earnings.

The University and College Union (UCU) warned that the proposal would lead to universities concentrating their curriculum on educating subjects for the most lucrative professions.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: “The proposed levy would incentivise universities to offer courses with the highest financial returns, leading to a narrower range of subjects for study. This is bad for student choice and the resilience of our economy.”

She said the UCU opposed the appalling student loans system, but said “trying to squeeze more money out of students” was not the answer to the problem.

“Graduates should not be viewed as cash cows for universities.”