[tonyedgecombe]

I can't help feeling half the problem with the UK student loans system is the fact it is framed as a loan rather than tax. If it was a graduate tax people would look at it completely differently despite a similar financial outcome.

You are right though, without that extra finance there is no way universities could have expanded the way they have. Traditionally they were always underfunded (in the UK) compared to other parts of the education system.