Portsmouth Uni To Charge £8,500 Per Year

The University of Portsmouth has announced its proposal to charge fees of £8500 per year for Home and EU students for 2012 entry.

An enhanced package of financial support will also be available.

All students whose assessed family incomes are below £25000 will receive a bursary of £1000 each year and a fee discount of £2000 in their first year only. There will be bursaries available each year to students with family incomes up to £42,600. This means that approximately 1500 first year students will pay the lower fee and around 7000 students will receive a bursary once the new system is fully in place.

The new fees and bursary package, endorsed by the Board of Governors, is subject to agreement by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA).

"Our fee decision will enable us to continue to provide a first class teaching and learning environment for students, despite the significant cuts in public funding to universities," said Professor John Craven, Vice-Chancellor.

"We know that bursary support is very important to many students as they try to balance their studies with the need for sufficient money to meet their costs of living."

The University has also agreed to increase its programme of outreach activities into local schools, colleges and the wider community.

"We have a strong track record of encouraging prospective students to see attending university as an attractive and accessible option, one which is very important for their future careers and their personal development," said Professor Craven.

All students are eligible for government loans to enable them to meet the full cost of their fees. There is also a system of government loans and grants to help meet living costs. Students are not required to pay any money upfront. Loans are repaid to the government after graduation when a graduate is employed and earning a minimum of £21,000 per year.

"These have been uncertain times for the higher education sector but the University is financially sound and is prepared for the government's cuts to its teaching and research funding. We will continue to provide an excellent education for our students", said Professor Craven.