£9000

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Students in universities in England will face tuition fees of up to £9,000 per year from 2012 - as the government reveals its plans for higher education.

The coalition's response to Lord Browne's funding review will be published on Wednesday.

Universities will be able to charge £6,000 per year with a higher tier of £9,000 - nearly treble existing levels - if poorer students receive support.

Student unions have warned that MPs will face a "huge backlash".

Much of this rise in fees, up from the current £3,290 per year, will replace public funding withdrawn from universities in last month's spending review.

It will mean that many arts and humanities courses will now depend on fee income, rather than state funding.

Balancing act

National Union of Students president Aaron Porter says it is unfair to "remove almost all funding for teaching in universities, and force students to foot the bill".

University lecture Students could see fees almost trebling by 2012

Ministers have been trying to achieve a balancing act between a sustainable funding system for universities and a political deal which will head off a Liberal Democrat backbench rebellion.

Before the general election, Lib Dem MPs signed personal pledges to vote against any increase.

Students have threatened to "hound" Lib Dem MPs over this promise to student voters - with Chris Huhne facing protesters in London and Vince Cable having to call off a visit to Oxford University.

As such, the funding package to be announced by the Universities Minister David Willetts at 1230 GMT will be accompanied with more progressive measures, including requirements that universities charging the highest fees will have to show support for widening access to students from economically poorer backgrounds.

This would include outreach programmes, summer schools and targeted scholarships. And if the universities fail to meet certain benchmarks, then the Office of Fair Access, a government quango, would step in and force them to spend more cash on helping disadvantaged students.

This has prompted suggestions that while there will be tough talking about widening participation, universities will not face quotas, regulations or "social engineering" in the allocation of places.

Interest rates for loan repayments and earnings thresholds could also be adjusted to give more support to disadvantaged students.

Under the plans, students would take out loans to pay the fees. But they would only pay the loans back once they graduate and get a job paying more than £21,000, much higher than the current threshold of £15,000.

Graduates would pay 9% cent of their income above £21,000 per year to pay off both the loan, and an above-inflation rate of interest.

It is expected that any graduates who wish to repay all or some of their loan more quickly would have to pay a penalty to compensate for the interest they would no longer pay.

But the BBC has learned that better off students will still be able to pay upfront for their university education and avoid taking out a loan altogether.

'Emergency funding'

Universities will have to decide whether this political deal will secure their long-term funding.

Malcolm Grant, provost of University College London, has warned that spending cuts in higher education have turned the process into an "emergency funding measure".

He also expressed regret at the apparent rejection of Lord Browne's proposal for universities to decide their own fees, without any fixed cap.

There have also been warnings about a two-tier system emerging from the split level of fees.

David Barclay, president of Oxford University Student Union, says: "A two-cap system will mean a two-tier system returning us to the dark days of some universities for the many and some universities for the few."

Mr Barclay has been invited to meet Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg on Wednesday afternoon, as the coalition tries to sell the funding package.

The changes in tuition fees will apply to universities in England. Scottish students studying in Scotland do not have to pay any fees. In Northern Ireland and Wales, fees are currently charged up to a maximum of £3,290.

As a prospective History student from 2011, I am outraged by government proposals for humanities and arts courses to become funded by tuition fees only and receive no state funding.

I am not only arguing this from the perspective of a student - this will no doubt result in exponential rises in tuition fees - but from the point of view of a humanities student. Subjects such as Geography, History and the Arts are so important to the culture of Britain, and the government are merely trying to undermine this.

I think it is absolutely disgusting and as a result we may see part of our culture die - with no state funding, universities will struggle to attract students to study the humanities and the arts.

I think the hypocrisy of Liberal Democrats is disgusting and I am left feeling shammed that I convinced my parents to vote for them - what they have done is break a promise and the only people that will have to pay - literally - are students who must now pay in excess of £9000 a year in spite of a struggling economy.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

I'm in the same boat here BlueLion, I was considering History but now I'm going to have to seriously reconsider my options. This is ridiculous, a government in power that no-one voted for, is now screwing the future generation.

Spending on university should be one of the main priorities. If more people are educated there'll be less crime, fact. This £9,000 fee will discourage more and more students not to go to uni. And economists wonder why the UK has one of the lowest "output per worker" ratio..

I'm fuming at the Lib Dems. This is why I knew they wouldn't make it with their promises, they're simply too weak to stand up for themselves. Nick Clegg already sold out when he sold his soul to Cameron & now he's just a puppet boy.

[DavidEU 2,023]

Just FYI, if you start Uni in 2011, paying £3,000 a year, and fees go up to £9,000 in 2012, you'll continue to pay £3,000 a year for the remainder of your course.

When I started in 07, it was the first year the fees went from £1,000 to £3,000, so if i'd been just 5-6 months older, I'd have paid £3,000 for my entire course at 1k a year. £27,000 on tuition fees means your going to be at least 40k in debt by 2015.

The whole thing is ridiculous, but something has to be done. There are FAR too many people at University, the majority going for a piss up, not to work hard, but the way to change that is to increase grade requirements NOT fees.

[DavidEU 2,023]

Spending on university should be one of the main priorities. If more people are educated there'll be less crime, fact. This £9,000 fee will discourage more and more students not to go to uni. And economists wonder why the UK has one of the lowest "output per worker" ratio..

That can't necessarily be a bad thing though. Right now, its far too easy to get into uni. 10 years ago, my A Levels would have got me no where near a good University, and only the best and brightest went to Uni. Now, we have thousands of people coming out every single year, expecting to walk in to amazing jobs straight away, when the amazing jobs SIMPLY are not there. A huge reason as to why our shops, our factories, warehouses and indeed, country, is full of foreigners who will take them jobs. And I mean no disrespect by that.

[zolayes 14,489]

I feel so sorry for students contemplating University. To be saddled with such huge debts is disgraceful. I went to Univ in 1955. Paid no fees.

accomodation and meals free and a reasonable grant for books and travel expenses. As a result I could enjoy my time there both socially

and academically without worrying about finance. As a country we will neglect Education and suffer. My sympathy to you all.

[DavidEU 2,023]

As a country we will neglect Education and suffer. My sympathy to you all.

Can't do anything though if the money isn't available to the country.

[zolayes 14,489]

Can't do anything though if the money isn't available to the country.

how many nuclear submarines do we need ,,,how many on benefits who could work ..Education should be a top priority ,Sadly only the rich

will be able to afford the best , We are stepping back almost a 100 years.

[DavidEU 2,023]

how many nuclear submarines do we need ,,,how many on benefits who could work ..Education should be a top priority ,Sadly only the rich

will be able to afford the best , We are stepping back almost a 100 years.

All that's true. But, the way things are, benefits are only going to grow. I came out of uni in the summer, with a very good degree, and i've found it near-on impossible to find any work. And a lot of people who were in my classes are the same. Add the amount of qualified people who are being made redundant to that.

Education and health care should be the priority, of course. But if the money isn't there (which it isn't) what more can we do?

[epicsarah-ous 329]

this goverment so far = SHIT AND FAIL

Its A outrage that this is happening I think its just going to bias the rich im with you bluelion

Rant over

[Kez 2,727]

I think it's absolutely disgusting that they can charge that much. A lot of people will be put off going to uni due to the sheer amount of debt they will find themselves in before they've even got a decent job which going to uni doesn't always guarantee!

We'll find people leaving school or college jobless going to sign on a find ourselves in an even worse situation.

I've got nothing against foreign people coming into the country if they can truly benefit us but letting people in and then letting them live of our benefits that the tax payer pays for & taking all our jobs while we have British people living homeless on the street and living of benefits is fucking ridiculous.

I have the chance to go to uni next year, i wanted to take a gap year but if i want to go it has to be this year so i have a lot of thinking to do before next year to consider if it's really worth it.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

That can't necessarily be a bad thing though. Right now, its far too easy to get into uni. 10 years ago, my A Levels would have got me no where near a good University, and only the best and brightest went to Uni. Now, we have thousands of people coming out every single year, expecting to walk in to amazing jobs straight away, when the amazing jobs SIMPLY are not there. A huge reason as to why our shops, our factories, warehouses and indeed, country, is full of foreigners who will take them jobs. And I mean no disrespect by that.

I understand this, but I know speaking to some of my friends, who are actually quite smart that this is discouraging them. This is because they come from families with a low household income, how on earth are they supposed to cope with £9,000 university fees?

[Laylabelle 9,306]

Know can be kinda the case now,you come out get a job and have to pay back for several years.But this rate gana be paying back half your life!That is mental!

Give it several yeatrs before the ole 'oh theres not enough doctors or whatever...hmm wonder why!

[BRMC 12]

Ouch thats quite hard and will definitely knock the uni numbers down! but to be honest its to easy to get in Uni so i think its a good thing the numbers will decrease, i could of went myself this year and a number of my class in college did go and to be honest we did fuck all work for 3 years and the teacher let us copy past coursework so we could get the qualifcations which we did.

So does mean you now have to fund the course yourself or just that entry fees are dearer meaning more debt for you?

On a side note i voted Labour but now feel ashamed of it and i really think the Tories will help us in the long run like said above the money just isnt there so what can we do

[Badboy 1,526]

Hahahahah the lib dems are seriously fucking their long term future as an independent party right up their own . I think British people are obsessed with academic achievement which is good but only to a certain extent. Too many people go to uni and not enough people become skilled trades men and woman in this nation, you need a really good balance to maintain a strong economy. So the government needs to higher the entry requirements so all the people who just scrape though get completely cut out. Those people can be put in a pool of people who the government will pay for to get a good trade or even a loan to start a small business.

Edited November 3, 2010 by Badboy

[Rubber bullets 1,183]

I have always been a believer in a dramatic cut in the number of the university places, especially the crap Mickey Mouse courses. Considering the huge drop out rate in the lower part of the league table, they should be scrapped or turned into colleges. That way tuition fees wont have to be raised. But the same left wing students that are going to venomously protest againts the rise will then start complaining that we are 'stopping people's right' to go to university. Unfortunatly university is now seen as a right, not as something you earn through sheer hard work - its ridiculous.

[BluesChick 1,260]

That stinks I wish our universities fees are about that expensive Well as I say that I guess for a community college or two-year college they are but for a 4 year public school they are at the low end maybe $25,000 (it varies state to state and city to city) but they can be up to $45,000 and that is tuition alone that doesn't include housing and books. I dread what school will cost when my son reaches university in 4 years. He wants to go to my alma mater and he will be an out of state student which doubles the tuition! I can't even begin to imagine how we will afford it.

[Badboy 1,526]

One thing i can not stand is when people in Britain blame immigration for their own failings in life.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

One thing i can not stand is when people in Britain blame immigration for their own failings in life.

It's not always that. It's true that international students get preference over students from home here because they're willing to pay more. University shouldn't be about how much you pay it should be about how well you can do academically.