Council approves University fees and funding proposals

The University is to set tuition fees at £9,000 per year from 2012 with a comprehensive package of financial support and outreach activities to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds to study.

Council, the University's governing body, last night agreed that it had no choice but to charge £9,000 fees per year for all undergraduate courses if the university is to make-up for 80 per cent cuts in government funding and at the same time ensure that it can meet its commitment to widen access and to deliver a consistently excellent education and experience to its students.

One in three undergraduates - some 6,000 students at Leeds - should qualify for some form of financial assistance under a generous new student support package included in these plans.  Students with a household income of less than £25,000 will be able to choose between a £3,000 fee waiver, cash award or accommodation discount, meaning they can access financial assistance in the form best-suited to their needs. Those from households with income of between £25,000 and £42,000 will be entitled to financial support on a sliding scale; and students from households with no income entitled to £6,000 in year one, and £3,000 in years two and three.

Investment in the university's long-held commitment to ensure access for the brightest and best students - regardless of background - is doubled to £16m each year.

The tuition fee and access arrangements proposals are subject to agreement by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA).

A major investment programme in campus facilities is well under way to enrich the student experience, and the plans approved last night provide for further investment in staff and facilities for the benefit of new students.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Arthur said: "We have always believed that anyone with the talent and ambition to succeed should be able to come to Leeds and these proposals will ensure that remains the case.

"No student should believe that a degree at a prestigious university like Leeds is beyond their grasp. We think the package of support we are making available for students is generous, innovative and tailored to their needs.

"Graduates are asked to contribute more to the cost of their education, and as a result their expectations about going to university will rise too. We are confident our plans will ensure these increased expectations are met, and our students will continue to receive the first rate education they expect and deserve."

Further details of fees and student support package available at Leeds  

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