"Most tuition fees to cost £9000"

[dutchman]

In spite of reassurances from the government, the majority of universities are aiming to charge close to £9000 a year in tuition fees.



Oxford and Cambridge were the first to declare their intentions earlier this week, with others set to follow their lead as universities decide on their fee levels for 2012-13.

The warning flies in the face of a government sanction designed to prevent universities from raising the cost above £6000. Nick Clegg, addressing students, said that fee levels are “not for them to decide”, explaining that universities will have to admit a larger proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds if they wanted to charge more.

Under the new sanctions, universities will have to set out their proposals to the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) before they will be allowed to charge the maximum price tag.

But universities argue that the price cap of £6000 makes no sense, as they will have to charge at least £6863 to fill the gap in funding left by the government. Furthermore, it has also been suggested that the higher price-tag will represent a quality degree, making universities far more likely to charge the maximum.

Students are also sceptical about taking a cheaper degree when there are others on the market, fearing it could harm their job prospects.

President of the NUS Aaron Porter, who predicted that £9000 tuition fees would be the norm, confirmed the value of a high price-tag. “Price will be set as a proxy for academic achievement”, he said to an audience of university advisers.

Whether the government’s sanctions will have any effect on rising tuition fees remains to be seen.