Following the UK Government’s announcement of a 3.1% cap increase on undergraduate home tuition fees and maintenance loans, the King’s College London Student Union (KCLSU) joins other Russell Group Students’ Unions and the National Union of Students (NUS) in reforming higher education funding.
In an email sent to the King’s student body, the KCLSU addressed widespread concerns over the potential impact of this decision on students’ experiences. They are urging the University to review its financial aid and support packages, including the King’s Living Bursary and Affordable Accommodation Scheme, updating them if necessary to keep up with inflation and loan rates:
Whilst we acknowledge the increase in tuition fees will offer relief to the sector and our own University, we join other Russell Group Students’ Union and the NUS in calling on the Government to reform higher education funding with the aim of decreasing student fees in the future.
The statement praises Vice-Chancellor Shitij Kapur’s involvement in Universities UK’s campaign for improving financial security in the Higher Education Sector, as well as his position that the burden of higher costs should not rest on students.
The spectre of tuition increases
The possibility of increased tuition fees has weighed heavily on King’s students throughout this year. At a university with the lowest Living Bursary in London (a maximum of £1,600 per year) and where many working-class students feel outnumbered by peers of higher socio-economic backgrounds, many already feel as though higher education is not for them.
Universities across the country are facing deep financial problems, with 40% of them in England predicting deficits.
The government has said that ‘tuition fees must rise with inflation’, despite claims back in early August by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson that this would not be a solution.
During the UK election campaigns, the Labour Party’s pledge to abolish tuition fees offered hopes of pursuing higher education without financial worry. But in May, Prime Minister Keir Starmer abandoned the pledge.
On 4 November 2024, the UK Government announced there would be a 3.1% cap increase on undergraduate home tuition fees and maintenance loans beginning in September 2025.
How would tuition rises impact students?
The concern is that students from less-advantaged backgrounds are already in a position to decide that university is not for them, and the added cost would only exacerbate this.
Madds, a third year undergraduate student, believes that if they had known about a possible rise in tuition fees before coming to university, they would not have chosen to enrol because ‘for me and my brother to both go is a massive financial stretch for the family.’
They also believe staunchly that the money they have already paid has not been worth it, saying that ‘it’s hard to justify’ a raise in tuition fees. Speaking from their own experience at King’s, they say:
We had half of first year, we weren’t having classes because of strikes’ and that, despite their support of strikers, it still meant ‘we were essentially paying for nothing’. They are disappointed, overall, saying that ‘the way we’ve been treated as students has been consistently really, really poor‘.
Ishani, a BA History student, agrees with this:
The issue with the rise in tuition fees is that we don’t see where that money is going. The news constantly reminds us that our teachers are poorly paid, student support systems seem overworked and understaffed and necessary facilities across all our campuses are often broken. Why majorly increase student debt if it doesn’t even provide us or our educators what we truly need?
Harry, a second year, believes that universities are attempting to take an ‘easy route’, saying, ‘I feel the universities could make budget adjustments internally but instead [are doing this] through charging their students’.
He also suggests that tuition rises would be ‘taking advantage of students, especially those of the working-class’ and believes it ‘will put students hoping for Masters and PhD degrees off of aiming for higher education’.
The Government has also raised maintenance loans. Home students from the lowest-income families will be eligible to receive up to £414 extra per year.
There have been discussions in the government about the reintroduction of maintenance grants for students from the lowest economic backgrounds. Before being abolished in 2016 under Conservative leadership, these grants were worth up to £3,500 and provided significant financial aid to students from poor backgrounds.
A Whitehall source suggested a solution to The Times: ‘we need to raise tuition fees. But at the same time, we need to look at maintenance grants to help those who can least afford it.’
It is unclear how to best calculate who would benefit from these grants. While reintroduction of these grants might offset the burden of rising tuition fees, it may also still not be enough to convince working class students to go to university.
To access support for cost-of-living crisis, find the KCLSU’s Financial Guide for studying at King’s here.
