Vice-Chancellors of Surrey universities call for tuition fee increase
The leaders of the University Of Surrey, Royal Holloway and the University For The Creative Arts all support an increase.
Last updated 23rd Sep 2024
The Vice-Chancellors of the three main universities in Surrey have all supported calls for an increase in the tuition fee.
University Of Surrey Vice-Chancellor Max Lu, Royal Holloway Vice-Chancellor Julie Sanders and University For The Creative Arts Vice-Chancellor Jane Roscoe have all backed national calls for an increase.
The three Vice-Chancellors spoke to Greatest Hits Radio Surrey and East Hampshire at an event in Woking announcing the Surrey Civic Partnership, an agreement between Surrey County Council and the three universities. The Partnership has been defined as "a shared commitment for these organisations to work collaboratively in the interests of the wider Surrey community".
The partnership is also aiming to tackle issues including health inequality and enabling a greener future.
When asked if he would like to see a fee increase at the University of Surrey Vice-Chancellor Professor Max Lu said "In order to provide the students with the experience and the conditions that they deserve, to really enhance their learning, to give them the opportunity and the skills so they can get good jobs when they graduate."
Royal Holloway Vice-Chancellor Julie Sanders said they have to look out for students. "It's a sector wide decision, not an individual university, and we need to look across a mixed portfolio of issues here. I'm really conscious, as we go into welcome week for students, they are really feeling the cost of learning."
The financial sustainability of universities is all of our responsibility, it isn't just the students. We have to look at other taxation models, employer levies, there's a really big discussion going on at the moment, a national conversation and of course we're part of that.
"But I am really mindful of taking care of our students into the future and making sure all our students can thrive."
University For The Creative Arts Vice-Chancellor Jane Roscoe also committed to calls for a fee increase.
"We want to deliver to our students the best experience and the best chance of getting a great job when they leave. We can't do that on the money we have at the moment, we do need some more help there.
"It's not the only way that we can bolster what we're doing but it's an important part of the conversation.
When asked whether a higher fee could put students off university, Professor Roscoe said "I totally understand that but think about the income that you will earn afterwards. The benefit that you will get from a university education. There is a lot of research that says going to university helps you go forward in your career. You will be set up for a better future."
Universities UK, which represents 141 universities across the United Kingdom, say that the last time the cost of teaching UK students was met was in 2015-2016.
A spokesperson for Universities UK said: ‘2015/16 was the last year the cost of teaching UK students-through a mixture of tuition fees and direct government grants- was met. If investment in teaching had kept up with inflation, funding per student would be in the region of £12,000-£13,000. To be clear, we are not calling for tuition fees to rise to this level. In fact, more and more of the burden is falling on graduates, and the UK is increasingly an outlier within the OECD on this.
“Our new research shows the significant benefits to the Treasury generated by graduates, and we believe it is time for a re-balancing of responsibility for funding to recognise that.”
A Department For Education spokesperson said: "“We will create a secure future for our world-leading universities as engines of growth and opportunity so they can deliver for students, local communities and the economy.
“The Education Secretary has taken the crucial first step of refocusing the role of the Office for Students on key areas such as monitoring financial sustainability, to ensure universities can secure their financial health in the longer term.
“We have inherited a challenging set of circumstances in higher education. By bringing economic stability and growth, we can fix the foundations of our economy, strengthen our higher education system and rebuild Britain.”