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UK govt increases fees of universities by £285

Along with this, Phillipson also told MPs in Parliament on Monday that maintenance loans would also go up to help students manage the cost of living.

UK Universities' fee increases by £285 after 8 years

This comes a little after experts had predicted that the autumn session may bring bankruptcy for some universities, if the tuition fee is not increased. (Graphics by Abhishek Mitra)

The United Kingdom has announced a rise in university tuition fees by £285 for the first time in eight years. This inflation-linked increase will now take the fees up to a record £9,535 per student.

“It is no use keeping tuition fees down for future students if the universities are not there for them to attend, nor if students can’t afford to support themselves while they study,” Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told MPs in Parliament on Monday.

Tuition fees for domestic students have been held at £9,250 ($11,925) since 2017 and increased by only £250 in the past 12 years. Experts believe that if this cost is not increased, then it will not be able to match up with inflation.

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This comes a little after experts predicted that the autumn session may bring bankruptcy for some universities if the tuition fee is not increased. Two recent reports — one by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the other by the Office for Students (OfS), the higher education regulator for the UK — have recently predicted that 40 per cent of England’s universities face the danger of budget deficits this year.

“…We see that in spite of our hands being tied behind our backs, one reason (is that) the fees of undergraduate students have been capped for the past seven years. How can you do that when you’ve had inflation, which has reached a peak of 11 per cent in that period? The real value of the income to the university is not £9,000; it’s about £6,000. On the other side, the costs of universities have gone up because of inflation. So they’re being squeezed by lower sales and higher costs,” Lord Karan Bilimoria, a member of the House of Lords who has fought for graduate visas since the beginning earlier told indianexpress.com.

Along with this, Phillipson also told MPs in Parliament that maintenance loans would also go up to help students manage the cost of living. Through this, the student maintenance loans will be providing up to £414 extra per year to support students from the lowest-income families.

“This government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity, which is why we are doing more to support students struggling with the cost of living despite the fiscal challenges our country faces.

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“The situation we have inherited means this government must take the tough decisions needed to put universities on a firmer financial footing so they can deliver more opportunity for students and growth for our economy,” Phillipson said.

This announcement comes a little after after the newly-elected UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, abandoned his pledge to abolish tuition fees in order to prioritise tackling NHS waiting lists.