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Universities in London 'will charge top rate' tuition fees
15 Feb 2011Virtually all London universities will charge the highest rate of tuition fees because they do not fear losing students, the head of the National Union of Students warned today.
Even those without good reputations will charge £9,000 a year in fees because the capital is so popular, Aaron Porter said.
He added that universities in London are so oversubscribed there is no incentive for them to offer lower rates.
The comments come after Mr Porter predicted that about half of universities nationally would charge the top rate of tuition fees.
Speaking to the Standard, he said: "Prices are set on things like perceived prestige and also the desirability of the location, so the demand for London universities will hold up well despite the increase in fees.
"It wouldn't surprise me if universities like London South Bank and the University of East London chose to put themselves in the same price category as Imperial College by virtue of where they are, even though they don't have the same reputation or history."
Mr Porter added: "It's right to say the reasons the market will not be a reflection of quality is because in London demand outstrips supply."
Universities will be able to charge up to £9,000 annually from next year. They are expected to start advertising how much they will charge from this autumn, when their prospectuses are printed.
Experts suggested most universities would have to charge at least £7,500 to make up for the funding cuts made to teaching budgets.
Mr Porter said he fears that higher fees will mean students coming to London will be more "middle-class, privately educated" while poorer students will be "driven out".
He also revealed he will stand for re-election as president of the NUS, despite criticism and media scrutiny.
Reader views (6)
AC - polyversity equals uni of former poly; none in your list qualify as far as i know. Certainly no bitterness this side. And in any case i was just thinking of the value for money one might be getting.
- well done garry, dumb down unis, 15/02/2011 20:09
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so its confirmed, from next year all London universities are going to charge £9000 A YEAR even if the quality of their teaching is crap, just because being in the capital is prestigious enough to charge the maximum fee. So where is a family with a normal income going to find £27.000 for FEES ONLY???? and if you have 2 kids and you want both educated, its gonna be £54.000. who the hell can afford that??? i'm seriously disgusted.
- dabride, london, 15/02/2011 19:12
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I don't know what the comment below means by "London's polyversities".
London has some of the best universities in the world. UCL, Imperial, LSE and King's have over 50 Nobel prize winners between them.
Only last year UCL was ranked 4th in the world by the QS World Rankings, and Imperial was ranked 9th in the Times Higher Education Rankings.
Perhaps someone is a little bitter because they weren't accepted.
- AC, London, 15/02/2011 18:41
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Oxbridge have a total stranglehold on opportunity at the top in many professions. 90%+ Top civil servants/Foreign office/gchq/CBI, ALL high court judges/lawlords, 90% pupillages in top chambers, 70%cabinet,50%tory MP's, more in new intake, 50% top journalists/correspondents, All bar one of the Browne commission on uni funding to give but a few examples).
At 9 grand a year anywhere apart from Oxford or Cambridge is a bloody waste of money.
- Steve, Brentford, 15/02/2011 16:44
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Well done Garry, Dumb down Unis, 15/02/2011 15:04
Spot on. Your comments made me spit my coffee out.
- suspicious, London, 15/02/2011 15:18
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I don't think i could bring myself to go to some of London's polyversities even if they paid me 9k an annum.
- Well done Garry, Dumb down Unis, 15/02/2011 15:04
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