What do students really think of the rise in tuition fees

Hybrid finds out how rising fees will impact students across the country

With students set to see an increase of £285 to their university tuition fees next year, many are uncertain how to feel about the sudden change. Fees have remained fixed at a maximum of £9250 since 2017, catching some off guard.

Rising costs across the country and a struggle to recruit international students who pay higher fees have led to financial difficulties for many universities. In January, Oxford Brookes announced cost-cutting measures due to ‘increasing financial challenges’.

Hybrid talked to students from universities across the country. Rob from Leeds said, “[I] don’t care. A debt’s a debt. It’s a problem for me in seven years.” Harry from the University of Exeter echoed this, saying, ‘It’s only going up by like 200 pounds.’

Others had slightly different opinions. Warwick attendee Calum believes, “students are being commodified” and that “increased burdens being placed on students are all a result of increasing fees.” Tom from Southampton thinks that while annoying, “they haven’t gone up for years [so] it’s fair enough.”

When asked if their minds would change with a larger increase, say by £1000, I received some interesting answers. Drew from Leeds said: “it would be a reason to drop out.” Billy from Oxford Brookes believed, “the majority of people would still go to uni. But just complain about the government. Because the fees are kind of like invisible money to us.”

Amongst the students interviews, rising tuition fees haven’t been as controversial as expected, and since most students use government-provided loans, they won’t feel a significant impact yet. However, increases to the maintenance loan have been more welcome, with the National Union of Students saying they will make “a real difference to the poorest of students”.

While Prime Minister Kier Starmer has retracted an earlier pledge to scrap tuition fees in 2020, the increase hasn’t surprised many, and might relieve some universities. However, speaking to the BBC last week, the chairman of The Office for Students believes nearly three-quarters of universities will face financial troubles next year, so it remains to be seen whether the government’s fee changes will have a long-term impact.