University fees to increase from September 2025

But that doesn't increase funding for Uni's, in fact would cost money to bring up the standard of e.g the former Poly's to say that of Durham or Exeter.

German state funding for its Uni sector was 35 billion euros, the UK on the other hand spent £7 billion...... about 8.3 billion euros.

Even allowing for Germany's larger population, thats a huge difference.

How does the UK close that funding gap?

Perhaps ditch the Russell group alumni

It will be a long time though before we forget which Unis were of old and which were Polys and Colleges.

Agree all things should be equal.
It would be amazing if schools were too.

Good luck with Oxford or Cambridge agreeing to a level playing field.

Students are paying it, plus the interest year on year!

Sadly does not surprise me.

@Alexandra2001 - I think the only viable long term option is to make sure it is seen as equally good to go to your local uni and make sure the standards are similar at all unis so students are not forced into huge debt as a result of feeling the pressure to have to go away somewhere like an expensive uni town (which ends up costing unis long term because house prices there keep going up). We need to become more like Germany and Switzerland where all unis are of a certain standard. So closer cooperation between all unis to deliver a more and higher standard programme to all children and so that poorer children without parents in the know also get a good degree worth the money!

So how would you make the sector viable if not via increased fee's? would you cut? tax or borrow?

Don't mis understand me, i would like tuition fee's to drop to around 3k to 5k and restore the mtce grant BUT the country simply hasn't the money e.g it will cost billions to give us back an NHS dentist system...... i doubt very much there is the money to do that either.

Defence spending has to increase & the GOvt has to prepare for the possible withdrawal of the USA from NATO and the probable halting of aid to Ukraine by the USA.

Then there is climate change and the extra funding needed for flood defence...

The Conservatives, to be kind to them, thought everything would be sorted by the 'market..... an unkind opinion would be they just kicked everything into the long grass... ignoring all our long term problems, inc energy supply, it was Labour who proposed Hinkley to be built.... not the Tories, who actually delayed it and involved the Chinese of all people.

“The IFS says yesterday's tuition fee hike raises £390m
The Higher Education Policy Institute says the NI hike will cost universities £400m
So every single extra penny graduates are paying goes on Labour's NI hike”

So the Government is borrowing more to pay themselves NI?

Like I said, a bunch of incompetents.

What I mean is actual people with real talent and business acumen and STEM/tech experts with NO SLEAZE. Rather than a bunch of solipsistic individuals out for themselves and fighting their direct enemy across the board in a playgroundesque style and shouting like Neanderthalers in the Oxford Union.

The IFS says yesterday's tuition fee hike raises £390m
The Higher Education Policy Institute says the NI hike will cost universities £400m
So every single extra penny graduates are paying goes on Labour's NI hike

We only just changed the guard.

What do you mean? Republicanism? Dictatorship?

Things will improve if we change the political system

But you seem to think that your taxes dont make a difference. And won’t make a difference in the future. So why self flagellate if you hate it all so much and don’t believe it will improve. Isnt life too short?

Well @Tiredalwaystired - I am British, born British and only acquired the other passports later. My entire family has contributed substantially to this country for many centuries. I have contributed substantially to taxes. So no, I am staying right here and exercising my right to free speech. However, for my own children I will absolutely make sure their options remain as wide open as possible.

Can I ask you a question that is genuine and not meant to be goady?

As you have access to international passports and are so down on absolutely everything this country offers, what’s keeping you here? You’re encouraging your kids to leave, so why don’t you join them? You seem so entirely dissatisfied with everything.

By £285 a year. Which doesn't seem unreasonable to me in the current climate and they having not risen for the preceding 8 years.

I don't think adding VAT would help? It goes to the govt not the universities, it's the universities which need the money to stay afloat. The govt will want to avoid the sector collapsing and know that any extra revenue needs to be seen by the HEI, not just a tax which goes into the govt coffers.

And pensioners and older adults not going back to work deciding to do a degree won’t pay a penny back at all!

“They probably should. And redirect the additional money to the NHS
I say this as someone who has had to go private recently.”

I doubt penalising people voluntarily paying up will lead to extra money for public services. I believe the opposite to be the case - be it in education or health. Plenty of research out there to show that those with means and education who know how to talk the talk get better access to public services in the first place. Incentivising them to use public services is not a good way to raise funds.

I never said they would get away with VAT on uni education.
No, you didn't. I replied to a poster who seemed to think that it was the natural progression after VAT on private education explaining why it wasn't and you replied to my post illustrating my point perfectly.

They probably should. And redirect the additional money to the NHS

I say this as someone who has had to go private recently.

Your words are very reminiscent of BP speech about fees.....

But interestingly BP has set age limit for VAT to 19 so the potential is there for universities to get caught up

They won’t charge unis VAT because that would lead to them losing the clutch they currently have over unis. They should not be controlling unis full stop. Part of the problem is the half way house of not a proper private entity but publicly funded and being told what to do by the Government.

I never said they would get away with VAT on uni education. However, I would not be surprised if they target private healthcare in due course.