The administration of Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the United Kingdom will raise university tuition fees for the first time in eight years, a report by The Telegraph said on Monday.
The Education Secretary of the university, Bridget Phillipsonhe will announce the increase which will see tuition fees rise in line with the Retail Price Index inflation.
The fee rise is expected to come into force from September 2025, meaning that it will affect A-level students who are currently applying to universities.
Tuition fees have remained frozen at £9,250 since 2017. It is unclear which month’s inflation figures Labour will choose to link fees to, but matching them to the current rate of 2.7 per cent would see fees rise to about £9,500 from next year.
Previous reports suggested that the Government would raise tuition fees to £10,500 over the next five years. The Telegraph understands that ministers do not want to commit to any uplift beyond the next academic year as they consider complete reform of the current system.
The Russell Group of elite universities has argued that the cap on tuition fees means they are now making a loss of about £4,000 per UK student.
University finances have also suffered from a dramatic drop in lucrative international students following a Tory crackdown on dependent visas.
Home Office figures showed 16 per cent fewer visa applications were made between July and September than in the same period in 2023.
Foreign students, who typically pay triple or even quadruple domestic students, had been largely propping up the sector. A sudden fall in numbers has removed a crucial lifeline for universities and amplified calls for immediate action from the new Government.