5th July 2010 9:00
By Blue Tutors
In a recent report by the Sutton Trust it’s estimated that a sharp rise in tuition fees would lead to a dramatic fall in the number of young people applying to university. In an article on the BBC website it’s claimed that 80% of students aged 11-16 now expect to attend university, but that this is by no means a trend that would remain if tuition fees were increased as has been suggested recently.
The current cap on university tuition fees is £3,225 per year, and an increase to £5,000 will not affect university applications too severely. However, if tuition fees were increased to £7,000 then only 45% of students said that they would still apply, and if students were to pay £10,000 for their tuition then this figure falls to 26%. Universities have experienced consistent increases in application numbers in recent years, and warn that increasing tuition fees is the only way forward.
The major challenge for the government will be to establish awareness among young people about the support available if they do choose to apply to university in the wake of rising tuition fees. The chairman of the Sutton Trust, Sir Peter Lampl said “If Lord Browne’s review concludes that higher fees are necessary, there is a significant task ahead in ensuring that all young people - and particularly those from non-privileged homes - are equipped with the information they need to make well-informed decisions”.