The government have confirmed that undergraduate tuition fees in England would increase to £9535 per annum, in line with inflation rates.
Tuition fees have not risen from the current figure of £9125 since 2017. In 2011, they were as low as £3000, climbing dramatically to £9000 in 2012 under the infamous Conservative-Lib Dem coalition.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson also announced that maintenance loans will increase at a commensurate rate. This uplift will give Sheffield students (and any who live away from home outside London) who receive the maximum loan an extra £317 a year.
This uptick will apply to students who have already started their courses as well as new applicants. Phillipson did not address whether or not fees will continue to rise with inflation year on year.
Universities UK, which represents 141 institutions, called for tuition fees to increase back in September to address the nationwide uni budget deficits which are affecting teaching, courses, and resources.
The group welcomed the hoick, saying ‘we want to work closely with [the government] to ensure that this rise is used to put universities back on a firm financial footing.’
However, general secretary of the University and College Union Jo Grady, who herself is a lecturer at Sheffield, said that the rise is ‘economically and morally wrong’.
In 2020, Kier Starmer’s Labour party pledged to abolish tuition fees entirely. It was only after he rode a landslide election victory to government that he said the country could not afford to avert impending NHS collapse and cancel tuition fees simultaneously.
In the event of Labour failing to resolve national issues or manifesto pledges, however, they have a reliable failsafe of being able to blame shortcomings on the Tory legacy they inherited. It’s an excuse Starmer and his ministers have not been afraid to use.
Grady went on to add that ‘taking money from debt-ridden students and handing it to overpaid underperforming vice-chancellors won’t come close to addressing the sector’s core issues.’
Sheffield’s Students’ Union officers similarly condemned the move, calling the decision ‘short-sighted and unsustainable’.
A spokesperson continued: “Making education free at the point of entry is a political choice. We deserve an education system that is well-funded, free at all levels and treated as a public good.”
They also suggested a ‘3% corporation tax on the UK’s wealthiest companies’ as an alternative fundraising method.
An increase to tuition fees has been a case of when, not if, in the current economic climate.
Many universities around the country are facing existential financial struggles. However, this news will still come as a blow to many students who are feeling the pinch of austerity just as much as their higher education institutions. Rising fees may well also influence prospective students’ already delicate decision on whether to attend university at all.
Featured image credit: Wikimedia Commons
