Imperial College to charge maximum £9,000 a year fees
16 February 2011
UCU today said that Imperial College London's decision to charge the full £9,000 annual tuition fee from 2012 increased the likelihood that more institutions would opt for the maximum amount.
Despite efforts from some ministers to suggest that universities would only charge above £6,000 in exceptional circumstances, the union said that it believed that many universities would charge the full whack to avoid being seen to offer cheaper degrees than rival institutions.
The union said that the country was entering uncharted territory as universities were forced to deal with devastating cuts and how to price up their degrees. UCU also pointed to its own study, which showed that all English universities would have to charge more than £6,000 just to break even, as result of the 80% cut to university teaching budgets. More on that can be at: Universities will have to charge £7,000 annual fees just to break even
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'We are entering uncharted territory for universities, students and their families and now starting to see just what a terrible move tripling fees and creating a market in degrees was. There are real worries that we may see some parents discourage their children from certain courses or even university altogether.
'What we are seeing at the moment feels like the beginning of a trend as universities struggle to deal with the impact of the heavy cuts and how to price up their degrees to compensate. Our own research shows that all English universities institutions will have to charge more than £6,000 just to break even following devastating funding cuts and many, like Imperial, will be worried about their reputation if they charge less than £9,000.'
The union said that the country was entering uncharted territory as universities were forced to deal with devastating cuts and how to price up their degrees. UCU also pointed to its own study, which showed that all English universities would have to charge more than £6,000 just to break even, as result of the 80% cut to university teaching budgets. More on that can be at: Universities will have to charge £7,000 annual fees just to break even
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'We are entering uncharted territory for universities, students and their families and now starting to see just what a terrible move tripling fees and creating a market in degrees was. There are real worries that we may see some parents discourage their children from certain courses or even university altogether.
'What we are seeing at the moment feels like the beginning of a trend as universities struggle to deal with the impact of the heavy cuts and how to price up their degrees to compensate. Our own research shows that all English universities institutions will have to charge more than £6,000 just to break even following devastating funding cuts and many, like Imperial, will be worried about their reputation if they charge less than £9,000.'
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