University fees to increase from September 2025

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Just announced.

And looks like a complete overhaul coming.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/04/raise-university-tuition-fees-2025-starmer/

Where would you have got the money from to keep Uni's viable?

The state of their finances, isn't down to Labours 4 months in power but the Tories 14 years...

And where do you suppose parents get the money upfront from to fund fees and maintenance - no loans for EU study (RoI excepted).

I thought there were no fees in some European countries? If that’s true and rent is cheaper then it could be no different to having to make up the maintenance loan shortfall here

No fees in several European countries but in some you need an EU, EEA or Swiss passport. And some have very very minor fees.

I think, so long as qualifications are recognised, more young people will go abroad but it wont be poorer families doing this, this wont be the last fee increase.

Well Done UK PLC.

Oh yes. I’ll just give my kids their European passport and they can go do that.

True. Mind you the 'working people' part is a bit suspect too

How is that possible? All countries in EU from 2026 require not only citizenship of a country but also proof of residence there( tax) to study for free

So relieved to be raising DC in Scotland where fees are waived.

Its always amazed me that SAHM and Students are classed as "Economically inactive"

Being a "mum" (i inc dads in this who stay at home) is fucking hard work.

Worth noting (and the press hasn't yet picked up on it so MNers probably won't have) is that foundation year fees for classroom based courses drops by £4k from next year as well. So some institutions may well find their fee income declines despite the modest increase to headline fees.

@TheGoldenGate if you are an adult with an EU or EEA passport can’t you just get a part time job and become tax resident and then enroll? One of my DC is at ETH Zurich with an exchange programme lined up for MIT and probably Masters too, has a job in a tech company part time paying loads for a student. That was only possible for us financially because a family member has a spare room but DC entirely self sufficient, will have zero debt and is getting an outstanding education. I am sure I will find options for the other DCs, they are all on track for top grades too.
Not a single member in my entire wider family across several continents is not a higher rate tax payer. I am sure my DC will be too eventually. The way this country is going it is better if they try options abroad too. Unless they want to be eg an English lawyer courses abroad will expand their horizon, improve their language skills. It’s a no brainer for us. They need to try at least and are up for it.

Because the emphasis is on the word economically, not on inactive.

That was only possible for us financially because a family member has a spare room but DC entirely self sufficient,

lol. Living rent free in a family members spare room is not what most people would consider self suffices - the opposite in fact! Entirely dependant!

Some money could be saved by the Government / tax payer not paying for 18plus degree based apprenticeships.
Students doing them should get a student loan like Uni students.

( The Govn pays up to 95% of fees when employers don’t pay the full amount )

My children will never be able to get on the ladder anyway, even without the extra 9% tax. The salary/mortgage/house prices ratio has not been working for a long time, in London for sure. A studio in our area is 215K, banks will never fund that.

It could be worse…this article from the United States from a few years ago may give food for thought. A guy lived in his car for two years to pay off his student loans.
https://www.bkmag.com/2015/08/26/how-to-pay-off-student-debt-live-in-your-car-for-two-years/

About 12 years ago, I paid off 68K in US dollars of student loan debt…the amount was high as I earned two graduate degrees. If I defaulted/didn’t pay, bailiffs could have been sent in and repossessed my car and belongings.
There is also no income threshold in the USA for repayment of student loans…I had to pay immediately after graduation.

Whilst IMHO, university fees should not exist whatsoever, at the least if your DC don’t make a high income, they won’t have to pay their loans. It might be small comfort, but it is more humane than the American system.

I also might offer that the slight increase in fees in no way will make up for NI increases as well as the foundation year drop in tuitions, and the drop of international students. And of course we have inflation. I think it may be more of a ploy by the government to keep the universities quiet or for them to look like the government is doing something. Most university lecturers are making about 25% less money per year in real terms than they did in 2014; this latest increase in tuition will not reach them. I am thankful every day I retired from higher education.

They were meant to be better for not-so-affluent people but in reality it doesn't seem to be the case. They are thrashing pretty much everyone around 🤯 I haven't seen such a firework of absolutely bullshit policies for a long time, and I used to be a Labour supporter 🙈

I can only hope EU unis won't charge us much more in a few years time... Germany is still being nice with us, but their problems are mounting too so probably won't be that generous...

It's not about young adults not wanting to move abroad, it's the country wanting them to get out.

I have never repaid my student loan from 24 years ago. Life got in the way, children with disabilities etc....

German uni fees are the same for all passports. At least they were last time I checked.

“I can only hope EU unis won't charge us much more in a few years time... Germany is still being nice with us, but their problems are mounting too so probably won't be that generous...”

I think the Germans are smarter than that. They will be more than happy to poach the very young and very talented people from the UK and invest in them via uni fees. It is a no brainer really.

Where do the Germans get the money from to make unis free for all?

“That was only possible for us financially because a family member has a spare room but DC entirely self sufficient,
lol. Living rent free in a family members spare room is not what most people would consider self suffices - the opposite in fact! Entirely dependant!”

no @titchy - DS was offered an obscene amount by a tech company and could have worked a year full time and entirely self-funded. They are still trying to get him to not do a masters. And by obscene, I mean really obscene by UK standards.