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(Photograph) - When MORI polled nearly 2,000 people for The THES in September 1993, 46 per cent favoured teaching costs being paid by the state and not repaid by students.

This is about the same as support for the three alternatives added together (17 per cent graduate tax, 20 per cent repayment of a special loan through the tax system, and 9 per cent "top-up fees").

Asked to give a second choice per cent favoured a graduate tax but only by a small margin over repayment of loan (24) and top-up fees (19.) Don't knows increased from 6 to 11 per cent.

When MORI questioned 3,985 people in 1991 about the funding of expansion, half said that all the additional teaching costs should be met by the state, 39 per cent that the cost should be shared between Government and students or their families, and only 3 per cent that students and their families should bear the entire cost.

A quarter of the 1,585 parents in the sample with children at university or aged 18 or under said they would not pay anything towards tuition costs, while 38 per cent were prepared to contribute something.

Four per cent were ready to pay up to Pounds 250, 12 per cent over Pounds 250-Pounds 1,000, and 23 per cent over Pounds 1,000-Pounds 5,000. Thirty-five per cent did not know.