UK students will pay more for university in England next year, as undergraduate tuition fees rise to £9,535 a year. It is an increase of £285 on the fees, which have been frozen at a maximum of £9,250 since 2017.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told MPs in Parliament on Monday that maintenance loans would also go up to help students manage the cost of living.
The National Union of Students called the tuition fees rise a “sticking plaster”, but said higher maintenance loans “will make a real difference to the poorest students universities, the higher fees are a cash injection to assist with their most immediate financial challenges.
However, the announcement only affects fees and loans in the 2025/26 academic year – and vice-chancellors will want to know what the government’s plans are beyond that.
University tuition fees
Phillipson said the government would announce further “major reform” for long-term investment in universities in the coming months. She said the government was having to “take the tough decisions needed to put universities on a firmer financial footing”.
But she told the BBC they would also be “demanding more of universities”, and looking at things like how much top bosses are paid, in order to “drive better value for students and for the taxpayer”.Prime Minister Keir Starmer had said he wanted to abolish tuition fees altogether when he ran for the leadership of the Labour Party in 2020.
But in 2023, he said Labour was “likely to move on” from the pledge. In this year’s general election campaign, he confirmed he would be doing so as he wanted to prioritise spending on the NHS.
In the Commons on Monday, Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott called the tuition fee rise “a hike in the effective tax graduates have to pay.
Source: BBC
In other news – Prince William receives new title ahead of South Africa trip
Prince William began a four-day trip to South Africa by meeting young environmentalists and playing rugby with local schoolchildren in Cape Town.
The trip is centred on William’s annual Earthshot Prize, which on Wednesday will be awarded to five winners who will receive 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) each to pursue innovative projects addressing environmental issues. Read more
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