Top-up fees

Top-up fees (not their official name) are a new way of charging tuition to undergraduate and PGCE students who study at universities in the United Kingdom from the 2006-2007 academic year onwards.

Arguments for and against

Since each institution will be able to vary the fee they charge and be able to keep the revenue raised this way, the Government claims this means that over-subscribed and popular universities can charge more money, while institutions that may be struggling can charge less to attract more students. Supporters say that the abolition of upfront fees should encourage more young people to apply.

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However, due to the current funding crisis in UK higher education, it is likely that many institutions will be forced to charge the full fee, removing this incentive. Instead, critics claim students will be put off from studying due to the large amount of debt they will have to incur to study, with only rich families being able to afford this amount of debt, thus making higher education less widely available. It has transpired that almost all universities in England will charge the full £3,000 for all their courses, with the market being made in the nature and size of the various 'access' bursaries that are offered.

Related Topics:
Debt - Families - Higher education - Bursaries

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