Adding a further element of confusion to a situation already characterized by the most sweeping changes in higher-education financing in recent years, 27 English higher-education institutions have asked to lower the tuition they said they would be charging next year. The move comes in response to the government’s presentation of a series of proposed reforms in a higher-education white paper, including a provision to award some 20,000 extra university places to institutions “whose average charge is at or below £7,500.” Under the system that will go into effect next year, all institutions seeking to charge more than £6,000, or nearly $9,500, must have their plans approved by the independent public body responsible for safeguarding and promoting accessibility to higher education. The universities in question, which have not been identified, have all submitted requests to the regulator, which will review the revised access agreements and inform institutions by the end of this month whether they have been approved.

In a statement, the national student union criticized the continuing changes, saying that “the government’s botched changes to higher education are continuing to cause great uncertainty for students, with many looking to apply to university still in the dark about the fees and support they can expect.”