By Sean Coughlan – Education correspondent: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-41168446
Head teachers say that applicants to university in England must be told “as soon as possible” how much they will pay in tuition fees in autumn 2018.
The first deadline for applications for next year is next month (October) – but ministers have not yet decided whether to raise fees to above £9,500.
The tuition fee level will be decided “by autumn 2017, before the majority of students have applied for a University place for 2018-19”, said a Department for Education spokesman on Wednesday.
Tuition fees are rising to £9,250 this autumn, but there is also an inflation-linked increase planned for next year, which would take fees over £9,500 for courses beginning in autumn 2018.
Rising debts
Mr Barton said that with students now considering university places, the government should “confirm the tuition fee cap as soon as possible”.
“We are also concerned that universities have been allowed to raise their fees, but that the government has frozen the £21,000 threshold above which graduates are required to start making loan repayments,” said the leader of the ASCL head teachers’ union.
“If inflation is recognised for universities, it should surely be recognised for students too.”
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