University Tuition Fees to Rise

University tuition fees are expected to rise for the first time in over seven years.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will reportedly confirm the move in a House of Commons statement.

The fee rise is expected to come into force from September 2025, meaning that it will affect A-Level students who are currently applying to universities.

Since 2017, tuition fees have remained frozen at £9,250.

The fees will rise in line with the Retail Price Index inflation. It is unclear which month’s inflation figures Labour will link the fees to but matching them to the current rate of 2.7% would see fees rise to about £9,500 from 2025.

It was previously suggested that the Government would raise tuition fees to £10,500 over the next five years.

According to the Telegraph, ministers do not want to commit to any uplift beyond the next academic year as they consider complete reform of the current system.

The move follows growing worries that many universities are now facing financial crisis, with 40% of English universities expecting to go into a deficit this year.

The Coalition government tripled tuition fees to £9,000 in 2012.

Fees rose to £9,250 in 2017 and they remained frozen.

Russell Group universities have argued that the tuition fee cap means they are now making a loss of about £4,000 per UK student.

University finances have also suffered a drop in international students after a Tory crackdown on dependent visas.

According to the Home Office, 16% fewer visa applications were made between July and September than in the same period in 2023.

International students had been largely benefiting the sector.

A sudden fall in numbers has removed a crucial lifeline for universities and amplified calls for immediate action from the new Government.

Ms Phillipson’s expected announcement is said to be the “first step” towards a root-and-branch overhaul of the current system.

It could result in the future return of maintenance grants, a form of means-tested support which was scrapped by Lord Cameron in 2016.

The Government is also understood to be considering reforming the tuition fee repayment model, over concerns that swelling student debt disproportionately impacts less-advantaged graduates.

Ministers have been meeting with senior figures in the university sector after growing calls for immediate support.

Vivienne Stern, the chief executive of Universities UK (UUK), said the Government must step in to “stabilise the ship”, as she called for fees to rise in line with inflation from 2025/26 as a “necessary” step.

She said: “Just get on and index-link the fee – this cannot be allowed to continue. That’s the bare minimum – you know, you can’t go on like this.”

UUK’s proposals suggest that if investment for university teaching had kept up with inflation, funding per student would now be in the region of £12,000 to £13,000.