Tuition at Many British Universities Could Nearly Double, Under Government Proposal

By Aisha Labi

Tuition at some British universities could soon increase to as much as £9,000, or $14,430, nearly tripling the rate at some institutions, under plans announced by the British government Wednesday.

In a statement to Parliament, Britain's universities minister, David Willetts, proposed removing the current cap on undergraduate tuition of £3,290, or $5,275, which is charged by most universities in England, and setting the new limit at £6,000, or $9,620, for the majority of institutions.

A handful of universities would be allowed to set their rates as high as £9,000, but would be subjected to greater scrutiny to show that they are making efforts to recruit disadvantaged students who might not be able to afford the increase.

To ensure that universities that charge above £6,000 in tuition "take account of their particular responsibilities to widen participation and fair access, we will introduce a tougher regime of sanctions," Mr. Willetts said. Institutions would be expected to have programs "such as outreach initiatives to attract more pupils to apply from disadvantaged backgrounds, and targeted scholarships and financial support for poorer students."

Mr. Willetts's statement marks the government's official response to an independent review of higher-education financing that was published last month. The Browne report recommended a host of measures, including a controversial proposal to allow universities to set their own tuition rates without a cap. Almost immediately after the publication of the report, it became clear that the government, which consists of a coalition of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Parties, would not pursue the recommendation that the cap be removed, and would instead opt for raising it significantly. The government has now articulated a two-pronged strategy, involving what Mr. Willetts described as "a basic threshold" of £6,000 and an "absolute limit" of £9,000, which is likely to fuel fears of the creation of a two-tiered higher-education system.

Although the government has rejected a central plank of the Browne proposals, the measures it announced on Wednesday embrace other elements outlined in the review. Despite the rise in tuition, universities will continue to be free at the point of entry, with the government underwriting student loans of £6,000. Under the current system, students are required to begin paying back their loans when their income tops £15,000, or just over $24,000, a year, and the review recommended raising the repayment threshold to £21,000, or about $33,670. The government has embraced that idea, as well as the provision that students should be charged a higher rate of interest than the current rate, which is effectively zero.

Graduates earning less than £21,000 would not accumulate interest, but those earning between £21,000 and around £41,000, or nearly $66,000, would be charged a real rate of interest that Mr. Willetts said "will be tapered in to reach a maximum of inflation plus 3 percent." Graduates earning more than that will make what Mr. Willetts called "a full contribution to the costs of the system but still incurring interest well below normal commercial rates."

The government plans to introduce legislation by Christmas and would like the measures to take effect in the academic year 2012-13. Many Liberal Democrats, including Vince Cable, the secretary of state for business, innovation, and skills, who oversees universities, signed a pledge before the general election in May to oppose any increase in tuition, and many members of the party remain vocal in their opposition to an increase. In his statement, Mr. Willetts said that the two coalition partners had accepted the "thrust" of Lord Browne's review and were "putting forward a single, coherent, and progressive policy." Whether that united front holds in the face of what is certain to be strenuous opposition, both from some Liberal Democrats and the opposition Labour party, as well as from the main student and faculty union, remains to be seen.

In a statement, the National Union of Students called the government's plan "an unprecedented ideological move that will push all of the costs of higher education onto the shoulders of students who already face much of the financial consequence of the economic downturn."

The organization that represents Britain's university vice chancellors, however, welcomed the plan. In a statement, Steve Smith, president of Universities UK, said the government's "package of proposals represents the best available funding system for universities" given the cuts in higher-education spending announced by the government last month.