Welsh to be Protected from Tuition Increases

Today the Welsh Assembly has announced that Welsh students will be protected from tuition fee increases, wherever they study within the UK.

Whilst the basic fee in Wales will, under current proposals, increase to £6,000 and £9,000 in certain circumstances, the Welsh Assembly has announced that it will meet the difference. This will therefore mean, Welsh students who enrol in 2012, will pay the same rate as those who are currently enrolled.

Many within Wales, as in the rest of the UK, have opposed the increase in tuition fees. The National Union of Students Cymru has extensively argued that as Welsh universities were only facing a 12% cut in funding, compared to England’s 80%, this should not warrant Welsh universities being able to charge up to £9,000 a year.

Tuition fee increases are not applicable to Scottish students, who currently pay no fee. As regards to Northern Ireland, a review is currently underway, it had however initially suggested to keep the current fee cap.

With this news, it now appears it will only be English students whom will be subjected to the proposed tuition fee increases and bear the brunt of the education cuts.