University of Birmingham to charge students £9K

The University of Birmingham is to charge students £9,000 for the annual fee effective from fall, as a result of the teaching grants cuts planned by the government.

The university said it would fund itself with £600m and would continue its A2B access scheme to help families without higher education.

Birmingham's Guild of Students, however, showed their disappointment regarding the tuition fee rise.

"We understand that Birmingham needs to remain competitive, however, we will be very keen to see how Birmingham can add value for those students paying the highest fees,” said Dora Meredith, Guild president.

"Whilst the bursary package and focus on encouraging students from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend university is positive, we shouldn't forget the reality of the debt our students will incur."

Birmingham's Aston University and Lancaster University have also announced an increase to £9,000 in the annual fees for EU and UK undergraduates.

"The fee level approved by council today reflects Lancaster's teaching and research standing and will allow the university to build on the high level of education and the collegiate university experience that we currently offer our students,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings.

"We want to ensure that the student experience is outstanding and that academic resources are directed towards making sure that our students leave with qualifications suited to a globally competitive environment.”

"We intend to offer a generous and flexible package of financial support to attract and retain the most able students no matter what their circumstances," she added.

The universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, Durham, Exeter, Essex, Surrey, Manchester, Warwick and UCL have also announced that they would charge the maximum annual tuition fee of £9,000.