Tuition fees for 2012 are set to skyrocket. About two thirds of universities have announced they will be charging the full £9,000 – an amount the government said would be for ‘exceptional circumstances only’. What is happening to student finance? It seems most universities consider themselves pretty exceptional. Lets hope that also applies to the education they offer! Only a handful of universities are offering courses below £8,000.
So how much will uni cost?
With average student financial living costs at £8,000 p/a, the price all-in for a degree for the average student in the UK will be a whopping £51,000, with at least £30,000 of that as debt. In many cases easily £40,000+. That compares to an average spend of £21,000 over three years for someone that enrolled in 2004 – the last year of the coveted £1050 p/a tuition fees.
No doubt for any student who is looking to finance their degree, let alone those that come from lower income families, that is a daunting figure and goes to show how careful you need to be with your finances if you’re gong to make it through university.
While studying in the UK has been the default option for generations of Brits, the huge rise in tuition fees are making many consider applying abroad where they think they can get more value for money out their education. Some countries such as Germany and the Scandinavian countries offer free university education, including to foreign nationals and teach many of their courses in English, making this an attractive option for those that shudder at the prospect of shelling out £9,000 per annum.
For a full list of university fees see this chart published by the Guardian.