...should pay for university education? Who should pay for university education?

Many universities in England and Wales want to increase tuition fees, a survey by BBC News has concluded. Should university fees rise?

Two thirds of vice chancellors, speaking anonymously, said they needed to raise fees, suggesting levels of between £4,000 and £20,000 per year.

University fees must be reviewed this year by the government - and there are already arguments about whether the present £3,500 cap on fees should be lifted.

The suggestion has angered the National Union of Students, which warns that students could face an average debt of £32000 if fees rise to £7,000 per year.

Are you a student? Are you a parent?

Should tuition fees increase?

How would you be affected by a rise in fees?

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british universities need funding, otherwise the best postgrad students will go elsewhere to countries with better funded facilities. either the students themselves have to provide funding by way of fees, or society has to by way of increased taxes. as you might expect, prospective students are as pleased at the thought of higher fees as taxpayers are at the thought of higher taxes

im in favour of providing education free for anyone whos good enough (ie through general taxation), because britain is not good in terms of social mobility, and a good education gives kids from low socioeconomic groups the best chance of moving to a higher one when theyre in employment. the funding should only be for proper degrees though - the idea that you need a degree to cut golf course grass is ridiculous. having said that, listening on the radio to medical students from prosperous backgrounds whine and moan about not being able to get on the property ladder is a little irritating

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I am curently in Yr11, so I won't be starting university for at least 2 years, but I have already been looking at propectuses for universities so as I knew which a levels to take!!! At the moment I will be able to aford university costs, but if they go up too much eg more than £4,500 a year, I will never be able to afford this and student accomodation, Let alone £20.000, If I could afford £20,000 a year then I would have dropped state education a long time ago..!!! The governements really stupid though, they need people to be trained in jobs, eg teachers, but people just can't afford it, therefore the governments going to lose out big time... they just don't think!!!
I think university in England should be free, the same as Scotland. If Scotland can manage it, then why can't England. At least our taxes would be put to better use than spending them on illegal immigrants!

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I'm a student at the moment and am soooo glad the fees are capped. My housemates and I work 3 evenings a week on top of the course, and all holiday (+savings earnt before coming to uni and + student loans) and we barely make tuition and rent (my housemate paid some of this months rent in copper coins from the penny jar!!) There's no doubt that if fees were higher I couldn't go to uni.
It's ridiculous raising the fees, it's going to prevent anyone in the working / middle class from getting a degree. My brother is in year 11 at the moment so hopefully I will have a decent enough job once I graduate to support him cos there's no chance he'll be able to pay living costs on top of £7000 a year, let alone £32000!
Plus, our department seem to have no clue about what to do with our fees, we have ridiculously few books and resources and the tutors should be earning minimum wage for the amount of support they give us.

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I'm a student and just scrapping through as it is.

Luckily, i don't have to pay tuition fees but i feel really angry that other students on other courses have to suffer from the rise in costs.

Aswell as this, living accommodation is rising - mine is going up by nearly 10% - this is an extra £500 per year - money i don't have.

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I am a student, I have two jobs and barely making ends meet, I have to cover my tuition fee's. I have also took an overdraft out which banks offer, on top of that student loans, but with rent being high, food, etc I struggle every month. I have to make sure I dont slip, so I can make the payment.
If fees were to rise to 7,000 per year, I can safely say i wont be able to afford going to Uni, I will have to drop out. This draws many parallels of what happened in the 1930's.

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I am 18 and will be starting at University this September with tuition fees costing £3,225 a year.
These fees are what put alot of people off of going to University, I myself have had to consider the huge debts that I will be facing after graduating. It's not only the tuition fees that have to be paid in the 3 or so years of University, you have to think about the living costs and other necessary costs aswell.
I personally do not think that fees should be increased. After graduating, students tend to want to think about housing, and maybe the future. With increasing debts hanging over their heads they are unable to get on the property ladder. This is another thing that worries me as a future student.

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According to me it's very bad that they are charging such huge amount of money, it will effect some people who is not in position to pay such big amount.

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