Huge rise in fees for 
university putting off 
students

Evidence shows that the fee increase, introduced next month, is reducing the number of applications to English universities, according to the Independent Commission on Fees.

Applicant numbers in England are down 8.8 per cent compared with two years ago, while applications from 18 and 19-year-olds are down by around seven per cent over the same period.

The commission, established in January to monitor the impact of the fee hike, compared UCAS application figures in 2010, before the new payments regime was announced, with those of 2012, the first year that students will be directly affected.

The total number of people applying to English universities in 2010 was 421,448 and has fallen to 384,170 this year: a drop of 8.8 per cent or around 37,000 fewer students.

Among 18 and 19-year-old applicants, there was a fall from 298,155 in 2010 to 276,629 in 2012: a drop of 7.2 per cent. It suggests that this drop cannot be wholly explained by a reduction in the number of young people in the UK.

Applicant numbers are also down compared with 2011 but this was after students were aware that fees were rising in 2012.

The report, the first that the commission has published, shows that the fall in applicant numbers in England has not been replicated in other parts of the UK. Both Scotland and Wales have seen a rise (one per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively) while Northern Ireland saw 0.8 per cent fewer applicants.

Commission chairman Will Hutton said that although it is too early to draw firm conclusions, there is “initial evidence” that higher fees will have an impact on applicants’ behaviour.

The report concludes: “The decline in English applicants from the 2010 level was 8.8 per cent, as compared to a nearly-constant level from the other home nations across this period. This may indicate a link between the level of tuition fees and the numbers of applicants.

“The fall in population of 18 and 19-year-olds is a significant factor in explaining some of the overall decline in applications, but this is relatively constant across the UK, and cannot account for the difference in application drop-offs between the four home countries.”

Students from Scotland attending Scottish universities do not pay fees, while the Welsh Assembly has said it will pay fees above £3,465 for Welsh students attending any UK institution.

Fees for students from Northern Ireland are also capped at £3,465.

The commission did not find evidence of fewer applications by teenagers from poorer homes.

Mr Hutton said: “Although it is too early to draw any firm conclusions, this study provides initial evidence that increased fees have an impact on application behaviour. There is a clear drop in application numbers from English students when compared to their counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“On a positive note, we are pleased to see that at this stage there has been no relative drop-off in applicants from less advantaged neighbourhoods. We will continue to monitor a range of indicators as the fee increases work their way through the system.”

Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students, said it has always believed it would be a “tragedy” if a young person is put off higher education because of financial concerns.

“The applications cycle for the first group of students facing a new, hideously complicated and unstable funding system, scarce opportunity and high unemployment remains incomplete,” he said.

“We don’t yet know whether or where those who have applied will study.”

“After next week’s A-level results the clearing process will commence, and we remain concerned that applicants, particularly those from certain backgrounds, may not be in a position to choose whether and where to study, based on the right course and university for them.”