In Race and the Neoliberal University: Lessons from the Public University, John Holmwood, explains the process of the privatization of higher education in the UK & US, highlighting the shift from it being seen as a social right to it being a personal responsibility of individuals & families. This ideology reinforces existing socioeconomic inequalities, as not all will be able to afford tuition fees. This privilege is highlighted with the reintroduction of fees in the UK, where in 1981 tuition fees were charged for ‘overseas’ students. These fees are normally double or triple, creating a drastic difference between the student profiles with consideration to mind-set, priorities, upbringing and future goals.

Historically the purpose of education was to make the world a better place. To offer people the opportunity to learn and grow, and to have new ideas for development trickle into society. However, with capitalism, is the purpose of education shifting? We need to think about who the policy makers are, and what their agenda is. With the way the university is currently set up, in terms of international students, we are only offering the top 1% the opportunity to attend UAL. This highlights the blatant inequality that exists within the system, where only the wealthy have access to the education that UAL is offering. Meaning through access and opportunity, the rich become richer, and the poor become poorer. This is disappointing as UAL claims for their core values to be that of diversity, social justice, ethics and sustainability.

The Creative Arts is not a space that can grow and flourish within an exclusionary group of a select few. Education needs to be accessible, particularly creative subjects, as many international communities from developing nations tend to value profit yielding degrees such as medicine, engineering and law, as they hope that will offer guaranteed future security. However, we need to remember that there is beauty in true diversity and that needs to remain at the core. Art, music, fashion, performance and poetry cannot become a luxury available to the elite, as we all need it as humans to heal, learn, grow, flourish, and communicate.