1 October 2010
England could become the most expensive country in the world to study at university, an education union warns today.
A study by the University and College Union found that increasing tuition fees to £5,000 a year would be enough make England the most costly place to take a degree. Fees are currently up to £3,225 a year for domestic students but an increase is widely expected to be recommended in Lord Browne’s review of university funding, due to be published shortly.
Recent reports suggest fees as high as £10,000 are being considered.
UCU analysed fees charged by publicly-funded universities in 22 developed nations across the world. England is currently ranked as the fourth most expensive place to study, behind Iceland, the United States and Norway. The average annual fee is £1,427, while six countries charged no money at all.
Sally Hunt, UCU's general secretary, said: ‘Students have been contributing more and more to the cost of a degree over recent years and now is the time to explore further options.
‘Lord Browne and the government must look seriously at the idea of taxing big business for the substantial benefits it gains from a plentiful supply of graduates and using money to expand, rather than reduce, the opportunity to study.’
