University tuition fees increase – impact on HE participation

The Government has announced that university tuition fees in England will rise to £9,250 per year from 2017. The plan will link higher fees to better teaching. Expert reaction from Professor Anna Vignoles, University of Cambridge:

“So far the tuition fee increases that we have seen have not resulted in lower rates of higher education participation, not even among poorer students. This is largely because the state takes much of the risk, in that a student who does not go on to earn much will not have to repay their loans. If the fees increase further and particularly if the terms of the loans worsen, there may well be an impact on HE participation.”