Leading universities are hoping to win the freedom to impose big increases in what they charge to students from teaching after a review of the fees began Last weak.

The review, which is not expected to report until after the election, is being led by former BP chief executive Lord Browne of Madingley, who has said in the past that a fourfold increase, it would be unreasonable.

Vice-Chancellors and other scholars were careful not to put a figure on the maximum they can charge the students, saying the independent review should consider the evidence first. The top universities made it clear they were waiting for the freedom to raise fares substantially.

The Russell Group, representing the university-based research, called the current ceiling of unviable. “Our main institutions can not remain competitive internationally, provide a first experience in teaching and the level of generous support to provide disadvantaged students do not have access to greater funding,” said Wendy Piatt, director of the group, Overall, he said.

Steve Smith, president of Universities UK, said universities “must receive adequate funding to remain world class and changes in the system of fees should consider the implications for widening participation.”

The choice of Lord Browne, to chair the review appeared to be another indication that major universities, in particular, would benefit from the new fee regime. In 2002 called for increased funding, perhaps by a factor of four, although this was before variable fees were introduced.

He also urged a greater proportion of funds to be allocated to the investigation, said the quality of teaching should be improved.

Lord Browne’s appointment was welcomed by the CBI, which published a report two months ago saying that principals believe that the maximum rates of £ 5,000 a year would not prevent students from applying.

He and the other six members of the review announced by Lord Mandelson, the Secretary of activity, will have a broad mandate to discuss the challenges facing higher education and its impact on the funding of students. The investigation did not report until autumn next year because the original date of next summer. The terms were agreed between Lord Mandelson and the Conservatives, who have said they will not be bound by its conclusions if they win office, but want a thorough investigation.

Scope of review that will include part-time study. These represent 43 percent of the students, but are not able to apply for student loans and must pay tuition in advance.

Stephen Williams, universities Liberal Democrat spokesman said: “This test is nothing but a conspiracy between the Labor and Conservative plans designed to keep hiking up the fees on the agenda until after the general election .

Professor Les Ebdon, chair of million +, which represents new universities, said the timing of the review must not stifle debate on funding. “Political parties can not hide behind this fix rates,” he said.

Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: “Members of the review should be in no doubt about the scale of public opposition to a hike in rates and the level of anger among students.”

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It is a far cry from the traditional student experience of living in a cramped, shared house with peeling wallpaper, sticky carpets and a mouldy bathroom. With a private gym, spectacular views and penthouse apartments with flat-screen televisions, double-size showers and mini-bars, you would

expect Sky Plaza to be a five-star hotel. Yet this block of flats in Leeds is one of a new breed opening to cater for today’s teenagers.

The recession may have cast a pall across the luxury housing market but no one seems to have told that to its new student residents, some of whom are paying more than £500 a week for purpose-built accommodation.

Despite having a sky-high price tag to match the name, the Sky Plaza apartments are being snapped up,with many freshers funded by the bank of mum and dad.

Unite, the student accommodation provider, says that it is adapting to changing demand from its young clientele. The quality end of the student rental market is booming and it has created an extra 1,800 rooms for the autumn intake.

Woburn Place, which is in a prime area of Central London, has a mixture of one-bedroom flats and shared apartments. Features include flat-screen televisions, stylish furniture and en suite bathrooms. Some of the one-bedroom flats cost £513 a week. The cheapest is £213.

Rachel Storey, 21, from Weymouth, Dorset, moved in earlier this year. Her parents are paying £300 a week for her to share a two-bedroom flat. She is studying at London College of Beauty Therapy.

She said: “I looked at other places, and this was the nicest, safest and cleanest. The rent is more than I expected to pay but it’s worth it, as there is someone on security 24/7. Because I was moving to London on my own my parents wanted me to be somewhere safe and central.”

Nathan Goddard, sales and marketing director for Unite, said: “We are seeing a growing demand for high-specification accommodation. To meet students’ needs we’ve mixed stylish living with practicality and convenience.”

The finishing touches are being put to Sky Plaza which, at 37 storeys, will be the highest point in Leeds when it opens in September. The 533 rooms include studios, one-bedroom flats and en suite flat-shares for up to five people.

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Universities and colleges in the UK are putting up fees for international students faster than inflation, charging up to £650 more this year, according to new figures compiled for EducationGuardian.co.uk.

Universities charge international postgraduates in arts subjects £9,858 on average in 2008 – an inflation-busting rise of a rise of 5.2% on last year’s £9,373. In science subjects, the fee rise is 6.2% or £11,245 in 2008, compared with £10,591 in 2007.


International undergraduates starting arts degrees in 2008 face fees of £9,502, up from £9,071 in 2007, a rise of 4.8% – while the fee rise for those studying science degrees is 3% to an average of £10,384 per year, up from £10,080 last year.

The increases come on top of fees that are already inflated for international students. The director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, Bahram Bekhradnia, published a report last year warning that universities could price themselves out of the market, with 25% of overseas students complaining they get poor value for money.

An updated report out later this week will warn that if the price of courses becomes more of an issue for international students in an increasingly competitive global market, the UK could stand to lose out.

According to the figures, published on EducationGuardian.co.uk today, Imperial College, London charges the highest international student fees of any UK university, discounting the London Business School, which charges all students £29,500.

In 2008, the cost is on average £19,450 per year for an undergraduate degree in the sciences, but some courses, such as medicine, charge up to £30,000 and international postgraduate students will pay on average £24,250 per year for their courses.

Heythrop College charges the lowest undergraduate fees, at £5,490 per year for both arts and science courses. Meanwhile, Trinity College, Carmarthen charges the lowest fees of £6,500 per year for both arts and science postgraduate courses.

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Undergraduate students will be spared a rise in tuition fees for at least five years, in a move that will relieve middle-class families.

Ministers are under pressure from universities to raise the inflation-linked cap on university tuition fees, currently at £3,145, when the system is reviewed next year. Vice-chancellors claim that they need the extra income to compete with leading universities around the world.

David Eastwood, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), urged universities to dampen their expectations. Speaking at the council’s annual general meeting in London, he said: “Institutions would be foolish to plan on the assumption that there will be an early rise in the fee cap. I think it’s inconceivable that the cap will rise significantly before 2013.”

The National Union of Students estimates that those graduating under the new fee regime will owe an average of £20,000 once they complete their studies.

However, a survey for NatWest bank has calculated that the actual cost of completing a degree is much higher, at about £33,500. This includes fees, rent, food and luxuries such as alcohol and cigarettes.

Students from families whose parents earn just over the upper limit of £60,000 for receiving financial aid may find themselves hit hardest by any increase in fees, because they do not qualify for the assistance that is available to those from low-income households.

Eric Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of Bristol University, said that it would be unrealistic for universities to expect an increase in fee or other income in the current economic climate. “We must expect our income to flatten. In the past 12 years, income has risen by 10 per cent a year annually. Now we will have a situation where it will flatten, but we will still have the same cost base,” he said.

On other hand Jane from Cambridge commented as “I think its a disgrace the fees exist in the first place; particularly given that the people who brought this in, had a free university education!”

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