Universities push for higher fees
- 00:01:35
- ITN
Universities push for higher fees
Britain's leading universities want to see a sharp increase in tuition fees, it has been revealed. A study by Universities UK showed that on average, vice-chancellors would like to see tuition fees doubled. As part of the study, 12 university vice-chancellors suggested a wide range of figures that they believed fees should be set at, with an average backing an increase from the current level of around £3,000 to £6,500. The report, which comes as the Government prepares to begin a review of university funding said increasing fees to £7,000 would deter prospective students from enrolling. If asked to pay £7,000 in fees, a graduate in 2016 would have £32,400 worth of debt after three years of study, more than double the average debt (£17,000) predicted for 2011. Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: "In the context of the current recession, it is extremely arrogant for university vice chancellors to be fantasising about charging their students even higher fees and plunging them into over £32,000 of debt." The vice-chancellors who took part in the report all said that their operating costs would rise faster than tuition fees if they increased in line with inflation. Dr Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group, which represents some of the most research-intensive universities, said: "There is a growing consensus that without increased investment, there is a real danger that the success of our world-leading universities will not be sustained." The study found that increasing fees to £5,000 "is effectively maintenance of the status quo", adding: "At this level, we believe that students are largely price-insensitive." But it said there was evidence that a fee of £7,000 "will make potential students start to change their behaviour and may discourage some from enrolling in higher education". In a separate survey of 53 vice-chancellors, two thirds of those questioned wanted the cap on fees to be raised, and more than half said they want it to be raised to £5,000 or more or to have no upper limit. Nine out of ten said tuition fees should not be scrapped. Two thirds believed fees had not deterred applications from students from poorer families.
ITN | March 17, 2009
