Variable tuition fees in England: assessing their impact on students and higher education institutions
On 12 August 2008, Universities UK published a report (Variable tuition fees in England: assessing their impact on students and higher education institutions) which shows that demand for higher education remains solid following the introduction of variable tuition fees in England.
The report brings together a range of information from publicly accessible sources and the institutions themselves about the demand for higher education, the nature of the student body, fees and bursary arrangements and the financial situation of institutions.
The key findings reveal that:
- there continues to be real growth in the number of applications in the system;
- figures for 2008 point to significant increases in home and overseas applicants. The largest increase is again among those living in England;
- there was a 6.8% increase in part-time undergraduate enrolments between 2003/04 and 2006/07;
- the vast majority of higher education institutions decided to charge the maximum statutory fee of £3,145 in 2008/09 whilst broadly maintaining their current bursary and scholarship systems.
Variable tuition fees in England: assessing their impact on students and higher education institutions (PDF)
