In the summer of 2006 Joseph A. Russo, the Director of Student Financial Strategies at the University of Notre Dame, USA, was the Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies Visiting Fellow. In his lectures he asked the difficult questions about student finance- What should be the price paid? Who should pay? When should they pay? How should they pay? Who should be helped and how are they to be identified? How much and what kind of help should be provided? Where do the funds needed come from? Who benefits? How long should they be supported? What if they are not successful? Answers to these questions lead to further questions.