Fees and bursaries
The principles underpinning undergraduate tuition fees from 2012 onwards were discussed by Senate following an update from the pricing and bursaries review group.
Introducing the update, the Vice-Chancellor said there had been a 'tectonic shift' in higher education funding, with government support effectively to be replaced by fees. The quality of the student experience would be paramount, he added.
The group believes that the new undergraduate fee must be set at a level which will enable the University to meet three strategic objectives:
- A consistent, high-quality student experience, supported by appropriate staff-student ratios across campus and high quality facilities and infrastructure
- A continuing commitment to ensuring equality of access through a mixture of bursaries and scholarships and enhanced outreach activity
- Increased funds for strategic academic development and to help manage fluctuations in student demand.
A fee of £7,000, on top of an anticipated 'average' government funding level of £1,000 per student, would merely enable the University to 'stand still,' Senate was told. There was little support for charging different fees for different programmes.
A further report from the group with a recommended undergraduate fee will be brought to the next Senate on 16 March. It is expected that Council will agree on the new fee at its meeting on 31 March, by which point we expect to have clarification from the government about access requirements.
See the pricing and bursaries paper
Posted in: Fees & funding