Salford University Announces Average Fees of £8400 From 2012

Salford University has joined Manchester Uni and Manchester Met in announcing fee hikes which will be in place from September 2012.

Salford Uni say they will be charging between £8000 and £9000 per year with the average course being £8400. This is similar to Manchester Met who say 75% of course will be £8000, 20% will be £9000 and the remaining 5% will fall between £8000 and £9000. Manchester Uni announced back in March that they planned to charge £9000 per year. 

After MP's voted to allow universities to charge up to £9,000 in "exceptional circumstances" from 2012 at the end of last year, most universities are now grouping around the maximum allowed.

Salford vice-chancellor, Professor Martin Hall, said: "Our fees represent excellent value for money, but have been set at levels that will enable us to secure the future of the University following extensive Government funding cuts, and continue to make significant investment in the quality of the student experience.

Similarly, vice-chancellor at Manchester University, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, said the £9000 fees had been agreed to "very reluctantly".

She went on to say "we believe this is necessary to ensure and improve the quality of teaching and the wider experience that we offer to all of our students, and it reflects the value of a Manchester degree in the employment market."

The proposed higher fees have raised concerns about would-be students being put-off higher education by the prospect of graduating with a large debt, although all three Manchester universities said financial support will be in place for students from poorer families.

The decision by universities to charge the maximum amount possible could affect their funding from the Government, with ministers warning that if the majority set fees at or close to the maximum then they will face further cuts to funding and student places.

Aaron Porter, president of the National Union of Students, said: ``When the Government forced these ill-considered plans through Parliament, they claimed that fees above £6,000 would be the exception rather than the rule, but that was quite clearly a pipe dream.

``Ministers have claimed that Offa has the power to regulate fees, when in reality this process is nothing more than one of rubberstamping vice chancellors' attempts to charge as much as they can get away with. With no one to stop them, universities are rushing to charge the maximum £9,000.''