07 - England - Registration and/or tuition fees

Tuition fees charged to full-time undergraduate (first cycle) home and EU students are regulated by government. Fees charged to part-time students, all overseas students and all postgraduate students are not regulated and are determined by the institution.

Under the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998, full-time undergraduate students beginning a course in the academic year 1998/99 were required for the first time to pay means-tested tuition fees. For the academic year 2005/06, fees stood at £1,175.

England

The Higher Education Act 2004 allowed institutions in England to set variable tuition fees for new students of up to £3,000 per year from 2006/07, with any increases linked to the level of inflation. The maximum tuition fee for 2007/08 is £3,070. In practice almost all institutions charge the maximum.

Eligible students are entitled to a student loan to cover the full amount of tuition fees. The Student Loans Company (SLC), responsible for administering government-funded loans and grants, pays the fees direct to the institution on students' behalf. Students repay these loans once they have left university and are earning over £15,000. Interest on the loan is linked to inflation.

Full details of tuition fees and financial support arrangements for students beginning higher education courses in England in 2007 is available from the Directgov student finance website:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/index.htm

Wales

The Higher Education Act 2004 gave responsibility for the tuition fee regime to the National Assembly for Wales (NAfW). The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) then ruled out variable fees in Wales until 2007. From 2007/08, Welsh higher education institutions are able to charge fees of up to £3,070, as in England, but students living in Wales and studying in Wales have to pay only £1,250, the rest being met by a non means-tested fee grant of £1,845 paid directly to the institution. As in England, eligible students are entitled to a student loan to cover tuition fees payable.

Full details of tuition fees and financial support arrangements for students beginning higher education courses in Wales in 2007 is available from the Student Finance Wales website:

http://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/portal/

Northern Ireland

The Higher Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 was passed in April 2005. This introduced variable deferred tuition fees from 2006 (as in England). Arrangements are similar to arrangements in England.

Institutions:

 

National Assembly for Wales (NAfW)
New Crown Building Cathays Park Cardiff Bay Cardiff CF99 1NA Wales
Tel.:+44 29 (0)845 010 5500
E-mail: Assembly.Info@wales.gsi.gov.uk
Website:  http://www.wales.gov.uk

 

Student Loans Company Ltd.
100 Bothwell Street Glasgow G2 7JD Scotland
Tel.:+44 (0)141 306 2000
Fax:+44 (0)141 226 2005
Website:  http://www.slc.co.uk


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Date: 2009
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