If you’re 16 years old and planning on studying for a degree, you might want to keep an eye on what Adam Tickell has to say about eligibility for tuition fees.
“We are getting students without a single A-level or equivalent getting access to the student loan book,” says Adam Tickell, about the current financial crisis of universities in the UK.
Tickell joined the University of Birmingham as its vice chancellor in 2021, where he has since remained. In recent news, he has shared concerns regarding the current financial state of university funding in the UK. Flagging that he believes one of the reasons the UK is experiencing financial hardship across this sector is because “We’re investing so much money in people who … are not really capable of graduating,” he says.
Speaking at a conference in London, Tickell proposed that student loans should only be available to those with A-levels or similar.
Right now, the UK’s policies surrounding eligibility for student finance are flexible. GCSEs are a benchmark, with the addition of A Levels, T Levels and BTECS as a few examples of eligibility. Though each university has its own set of rules for entry requirements.
What does the UK’s university ‘financial crisis’ look like?
There’s no denying the UK has been in a funding crisis across university sectors for several years now. In October 2025, Universities UK released a report on the participation of 60 institutions. It concluded that the number of closed university departures has doubled from 9%, that 49% have closed courses, and 46% have removed module options.
While numbers seem to worsen, one thing remains slightly promising. Across the stats, most institutions have agreed that student hardship funding and bursaries must be protected. 49% of voters argued that this area needs to see cuts, while a majority of 59% stated otherwise.
Bursaries and scholarships are a separate element of student finance. However, they are integral for students without comfortable financial backing to be given equal access to excel in their careers.
How does this impact young adults?
Throughout school, young adults are typically guided towards the direction of studying in university. While it’s a great initiative teaching young adults the principles of discipline, there are a few barriers along the way. For some young adults, access to university is harder than for others. Some students might only have the option to study at college rather than a 6th form. Others might prefer to go down the route of apprenticeships. Wherever they end up, studying in university should always be an accessible option.
Varied access points for universities are an essential tool to help students of all capabilities to have the opportunity to excel in their careers. If A-Levels are the only eligibility, this will leave a large portion of the UK population without degrees. Without further access to high-end careers. Student loans on the terms of A-levels only would create an astronomical barrier.
What can be done?
While Tickell is a senior member of the UK’s university sector, his comments on the state of the financial crisis were merely conversational. Nothing has been passed, nor set in stone. He is also the first and only chancellor to propose this idea, which means that if it is eventually passed, it could be quite some time.
For now, young adults can continue to speak with their tutors about the best options and directions to go towards their chosen universities. They can check Student Finance – ‘The Education Hub’ for regular updates, Blackbullion, a student grants web searcher and UCAS for any universities that offer scholarship placements.
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