Tuition fees: the surprising winners and losers

By Gervas Huxley. Increased revenue from tuition fees since their introduction in 1998 has benefited some more than others – and it is arts students who have fared best, explains Gervas Huxley. Was the introduction of tuition fees ever intended to improve the education of undergraduates? A number of readers commenting on this blog seem sceptical, claiming that the objective was only ever to relieve the Treasury from the burden of having to pay for higher education. But higher tuition fees for home and EU students are significantly increasing universities’ overall revenues. In a letter released this week, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) estimates revenues will increase from £8bn in 2012/13 to £9.1bn in 2014/15. In contrast to what some readers believe, this was always the intention. Read more...