University students in England are bracing for higher tuition costs, with the government set to announce the first fee hike since 2017. Tuition fees, which have remained capped at £9,250 annually since the 2017/18 academic year, are expected to increase in line with inflation. According to reports, this adjustment would raise fees to £9,500 by October 2025 and to £10,500 by 2029.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is anticipated to confirm the policy change in a statement to the House of Commons today. The move comes amid ongoing financial strain on universities and follows a significant decline in overseas student numbers, a result of tightened regulations under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration.
The expected tuition increase is likely to reignite political tensions, especially in light of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s past pledge to abolish tuition fees when he campaigned for party leadership in 2020. Starmer later reversed his stance, citing the nation’s economic challenges and prioritising NHS funding. Despite stepping back from his initial promise, he assured that Labour would propose a “fairer solution” for students if elected.
Independent MP Zara Sultana, who lost the Labour whip over her stance on the two-child benefit cap, voiced strong opposition to the anticipated tuition hike. In a post on X, she wrote, “The government’s increase to tuition fees is wrong. Students shouldn’t have to pay tuition this year, or any year. It’s time to abolish tuition fees and cancel student debt because education is a public good, not a commodity.”
The funding crisis facing universities has been exacerbated by a drop in international student enrolments. Under current rules, international students, who pay higher fees than domestic students, face stricter conditions on bringing family members to the UK, impacting enrolments and revenues.
Phillipson, who previously advocated for financial reforms to ease graduate loan repayments, has shifted her position. In opposition, she suggested adjusting repayment structures to provide financial relief for graduates. In The Times in June 2023, she argued that “Reworking the present system gives scope for a month-on-month tax cut for graduates, putting money back in people’s pockets when they most need it.”
However, this idea did not make it into Labour’s 2024 manifesto, which states, “the current higher education funding settlement does not work for the taxpayer, universities, staff, or students.” It continues, “Labour will act to create a secure future for higher education and the opportunities it creates across the UK.”
The last significant change to tuition fees occurred in 2012 when the Coalition government, led by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, tripled fees to £9,000, igniting widespread public discontent. The policy shift was particularly contentious for the Liberal Democrats, who had campaigned to eliminate fees entirely in their 2010 election bid.
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