English university tuition fees ‘to rise with inflation’

Tuition fees in England are set to rise with inflation, according to reports, ending an eight-year-long freeze that has wreaked havoc on university finances.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson is expected to confirm that, from the next academic year, undergraduates will have to pay more per year for their degrees, with the cost likely to rise to about £9,500 from the current £9,250.

Fees have only risen by £250 since the £9,000 cap was first introduced in 2012 and were frozen by the last Conservative government since 2017.

Labour has been under pressure to raise fees since coming into power in July with universities falling into deficit as the costs of teaching rise.

The small increase will, however, still be dwarfed by the increased staff costs announced by Rachel Reeves last week, with higher national insurance contributions adding nearly £400 million to the pay bill of the sector.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com