The maximum amount a university can charge in tuition fees for undergraduates should remain at £9,250 a year for the 2021/22 academic year, the Government has recommended as part of its interim response to the so-called ‘Augar review’ on higher education in England.
The fee freeze will now have to be rubber-stamped by Parliament this summer, although the extension is expected to go ahead. Fees have been frozen for the past few years.
Elsewhere across the UK, universities in Wales can charge up to £9,000 a year in tuition fees. Universities in Northern Ireland and Scotland, meanwhile, can charge up to £9,250 a year, though the amount you’ll actually have to pay varies depending on where you’re from. Check out our Student Loans Mythbusting guide for the truth about uni fees, loans and grants.
Further changes to student finance still to come
But the Government has warned that further changes to the student finance system will be “considered” ahead of the next comprehensive spending review – a date for this is yet to be set. These will comes under its final response to the Augar review.
Former prime minister Theresa May launched the Augar higher education funding review in February 2018. In May 2019, the review recommended graduates should have to repay their student loans over 40 years and the interest rate on loans should be reduced to the level of inflation.
Recent graduates in England (on what’s known as ‘plan 2 loans’) currently pay an interest rate based on the retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation, plus up to 3%, depending on how much they earn. Loans are normally written off after 30 years.
The review also agreed with many proposals put forward by MoneySavingExpert.com, but today’s interim response from the Government doesn’t deal with these. You can read more detail about Martin’s thoughts on the review in our MSE News story: Martin Lewis: The Augar report heralds the end of student ‘loans’.
