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1141083

	registered interest
	date	22/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is his policy to make it a condition for universities to become involved in academy sponsorship or the founding of free schools in order for them to charge maximum tuition fees.
	tabling member constituency	Ashton-under-Lyne
	tabling member printed	Angela Rayner
	uin	280327
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2019 answer text <p>It is not a condition for universities to become involved in academy sponsorship or the founding of free schools in order for them to charge maximum tuition fees.</p><p>All higher education (HE) providers in England that register with the Office for Students (OfS) and want to charge more than the basic annual amount for tuition must have an Access and Participation Plan approved by the OfS. Through these plans, providers set out what activities they intend to take to ensure students from disadvantaged backgrounds or under-represented groups can access, participate, succeed and progress from HE.</p><p>The Schools that Work for Everyone consultation asked how we could best harness the resources and expertise of those in the HE sector to widen access to these institutions for disadvantaged pupils, and to work in partnership to lift attainment across the wider school system. We know that many institutions are already delivering activities to support these objectives and are working closely and effectively with state school partners, but we want to see this good practice adopted more widely and see a greater ambition for what can be achieved through such partnership working.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Joseph Johnson question first answered 26/07/2019 13:20:50 answering member 4039 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Marylebone previous answer version 131227 answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Joseph Johnson answering member 4039 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Marylebone
	tabling member	4356 label Biography information for Angela Rayner

1656590

	registered interest
	date	01/09/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to retain the current level of tuition fees for home fee status students.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton South
	tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
	uin	197092
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2023 answer text <p>Maximum tuition fees, and the subsidised loans available from government to pay them, remain at £9,250 for the current, 2023/24, academic year in respect of standard full-time courses.</p><p> </p><p>The department is also freezing maximum tuition fees for 2024/25 to deliver better value for students and to keep the cost of higher education under control. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.</p><p> </p><p>The department believes a continued fee freeze achieves the best balance between ensuring that the system remains financially sustainable, offering good value for the taxpayer, and reducing debt levels for students in real terms.</p><p> </p><p>Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees under this level. In deciding to keep charging full fees, providers will want to ensure that they can continue to deliver courses which are fit for purpose and help students progress their qualifications.</p><p> </p><p>As part of wider HE reforms, the department is investing around £750 million of additional funding over the three year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to support high quality teaching and facilities including in science and engineering, subjects that support the NHS, and degree apprenticeships. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE Sector to support students and teaching in over a decade.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 08/09/2023 13:52:15 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
	tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1612251

	registered interest
	date	19/04/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the extent to which tuition fees for home students cover the actual costs of degree delivery across various subjects for UK universities.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	181542
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2023 answer text <p>The Office for Students collect and publish sector-level data on income and full economic cost by type of activity including publicly funded teaching (which relates to domestic and EU domiciled students, but not international students). The latest published data can be found here: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/annual-trac-2020-21/" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/annual-trac-2020-21/</a>.</p><p>As part of the 2019 Augur Review on Post-18 Education and Funding, the department commissioned and published a report by KPMG on the cost of undergraduate provision which looked at the variation in costs of teaching per student across subjects and providers. The report can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-undergraduate-higher-education-provision" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-undergraduate-higher-education-provision</a>.</p><p>The department also published a related analytical note on subject variations in the cost of teaching an undergraduate, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-18-review-of-education-and-funding-supporting-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-18-review-of-education-and-funding-supporting-statistics</a>.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 24/04/2023 15:40:44 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1643549

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education,what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of tuition fees on the social mobility of young people.
	tabling member constituency	Central Ayrshire
	tabling member printed	Dr Philippa Whitford
	uin	905321
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2023 answer text <p>The introduction of tuition fees has not resulted in fewer people going into Higher Education (HE). The 18-year-old entry rate for disadvantaged students from England increased from 14.4% in 2011 to 25.1% in 2022, and in 2022 we saw record numbers of disadvantaged 18-years-olds going to HE.</p><p><strong>Disadvantaged entry rate - English 18-year-olds</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2011</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2020</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2021</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2022</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Disadvantaged entry rate</p></td><td><p>14.4%</p></td><td><p>14.4%</p></td><td><p>15.6%</p></td><td><p>17.0%</p></td><td><p>18.0%</p></td><td><p>18.9%</p></td><td><p>19.9%</p></td><td><p>20.2%</p></td><td><p>21.7%</p></td><td><p>24.0%</p></td><td><p>24.5%</p></td><td><p>25.1%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Notes: Disadvantage measured using POLAR, a measure of educational disadvantage.</p><p>Source: UCAS End of Cycle Resources, available at: <a href="https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-data-resources-2022" target="_blank">https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-data-resources-2022</a>.</p><p>From August 2023, interest rates for new student loan borrowers will be reduced to RPI only. Under these new terms, no one will repay more than they originally borrowed when adjusted for inflation.</p><p>Degree apprenticeships also offer a unique opportunity for people to earn while they learn, achieving degrees from some of our best universities without incurring tuition fees. We’ve seen year-on-year growth of degree-level apprenticeships (Levels 6 &amp; 7) with over 185,000 starts since their introduction in 2014/15 academic year.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 12/06/2023 15:52:31 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
	tabling member	4385 label Biography information for Dr Philippa Whitford

1363032

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a reduction in student tuition fees.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	62772
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2021 answer text <p>The department remains committed to a sustainable funding model for the higher education system which supports high value provision, meets the skills needs of the country and maintains the world-class reputation of UK higher education.</p><p>We continue to consider carefully the recommendations made by the independent panel that reported to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding. This includes their proposals relating to changes to tuition fee caps and the level of Strategic Priorities Grant funding that is paid directly to providers by the Office for Students. The department plans to set out a full conclusion to the Review in due course.</p><p>The government has announced that maximum tuition fee caps for academic year 2022/23 will be frozen at their current levels to deliver better value for students and to keep the cost of higher education under control.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 62771 question first answered 01/11/2021 15:31:38 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1191650

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of replacing tuition fees with a teaching grant for courses taken by (a) health professionals and (b) other key workers.
	tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South West
	tabling member printed	Stuart Anderson
	uin	41585
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>The government subsidises the costs of higher education through the teaching grant and write-off of unpaid tuition fee loans, which ensures a sustainable system. Nurses and other healthcare students are currently eligible for a range of financial grant support in addition to tuition fee and living cost loans. There is also a range of additional support and bursaries for students in other professions where they are considered to be critical workers.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 11/05/2020 16:40:12 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4742 label Biography information for Stuart Anderson

1332004

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to partially refund the tuition fees of university students in response to covid-19 disruption to the academic year 2020-21.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	14072
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2021 answer text <p>I want to thank all higher education (HE) staff for their tireless work to ensure that students do not have to put their lives or their academic journeys on hold. This government recognises that this has been an enormously challenging period and I am grateful to universities and other providers for their sustained commitment to supporting students. We are working with the sector to make sure all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has been clear we expect universities to continue delivering a high-quality academic experience and help students to achieve qualifications that they and employers value. Universities are expected to maintain quality and academic standards and that the quantity of tuition should not drop.</p><p>Universities and other HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees within maximum fee limits set by regulations.</p><p>Whether or not an individual student is entitled to a refund of fees will depend on the specific contractual arrangements between the provider and student. Students do have rights, and it is for them to decide whether to seek to exercise these, whether it be through the provider’s internal complaints system, third party adjudication organisations or courts.</p><p>If students wish to be refunded, they should first raise this with their university through their internal complaints procedures. If they are unsatisfied with the outcome, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education to consider their complaint.</p><p>The government has already announced that maximum fees in the 2021/22 academic year will remain at £9,250 for a standard full-time course. We also intend to freeze the maximum tuition fee caps for the 2022/23 academic year to deliver better value for students and to keep the cost of higher education under control, the fifth year in succession that maximum fees have been frozen.</p><p>We recognise that, in these exceptional circumstances, some students may face financial hardship. The Department for Education has worked with the Office for Students to clarify that providers are able to use existing funds, worth around £256 million for the academic year 2020/21, towards hardship support. We have also made an additional £85 million of student hardship funding available to higher education providers this academic year (2020/21).</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 18/06/2021 13:09:16 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1248753

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to classify UK nationals resident in the EU as home students for purposes of higher education fees at UK universities after the end of the transition period.
	tabling member constituency	St Albans
	tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
	uin	111626
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/11/2020 answer text <p>UK nationals living in the European Economic Area or Switzerland at the end of the transition period, and who wish to study in England, will continue to be eligible for home fee status and student support from Student Finance England for courses starting up to 7 years after the end of the transition period.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 12/11/2020 13:56:41 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1315722

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the Resource Account and Budgeting charge his Department estimates to be made up of tuition fees that are not expected to be repaid.
	tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
	tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
	uin	3130
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>The Resource Account and Budgeting (RAB) charge is the estimated cost to the government of providing a subsidy for the student finance system. It is the proportion of loan outlay expected to not be repaid when future repayments are valued in present terms. The RAB charge is calculated by taking repayment forecasts for income contingent repayment loans and discounting them back to the period that the loan is issued using the discount rate provided by HM Treasury.</p><p>The department publishes forecasts of loan outlay and RAB charges for each loan product. The latest forecasts, published June 2020, are available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2019-20" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2019-20</a>.</p><p>The RAB charge in the 2019-20 financial year was forecast to be 53% for full-time higher education loans, and 45% for part-time higher education loans. Tuition fee loans and maintenance loans are both higher education student finance products. Borrowers who have taken out both tuition fee loans and maintenance loans repay these at the same time. Therefore, the department does not calculate separate RAB charges for tuition fee loans and maintenance loans.</p><p>In the 2019-20 financial year, the government provided £16,371 million of student loan funding to English funded full-time higher education students, of which £9,503 million was in tuition fee loans and £6,868 million in maintenance loans. The value of the loan outlay that is not expected to be repaid is known as the RAB cost and can be calculated by multiplying loan outlay by the RAB charge. Therefore, the RAB cost of full-time higher education tuition fee loans in the 2019-20 financial year was £5,036 million (£9,503 million × 53%), and the RAB cost of full-time higher education maintenance loans was £3,640 million (£6,868 million × 53%).</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 3131 question first answered 24/05/2021 15:00:56 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1348031

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which universities are offering a fee reduction to students as a result of not offering a full return to face-to-face learning.
	tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
	tabling member printed	Bill Wiggin
	uin	35528
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2021 answer text <p>From July 19, there are no further restrictions on in-person provision in the autumn term. Higher education (HE) providers can shape their courses without restrictions on face-to-face provision. The position will be kept under review considering the latest scientific evidence and public health advice. The latest advice can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses</a>.</p><p> </p><p>HE providers should therefore not be planning to restrict teaching based on COVID-19 restrictions. However, universities are autonomous institutions, and it is for providers to determine their own provision, taking account of government guidance. We understand that several universities have announced plans on teaching in the next academic year and some will retain an element of blended learning. We know that the COVID-19 outbreak has enabled many providers to identify new and innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and students will continue to benefit from these alongside in person provision. The department therefore has no plans to publish the names of, or reduce funding for, individual institutions which are not returning to face-to-face provision in the autumn term.</p><p> </p><p>We expect all universities to act in the interest of students and provide them with a full experience, and in accordance with Office for Students guidance, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/guidance-for-providers-about-student-and-consumer-protection-during-the-pandemic/" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/guidance-for-providers-about-student-and-consumer-protection-during-the-pandemic/</a>. HE providers should communicate clearly to their students what they can expect from planned teaching and learning so that they are able to make informed choices.</p><p> </p><p>The Office for Students has also made it clear that all HE providers must continue to comply with registration conditions relating to quality and standards. This means ensuring that courses provide a high-quality academic experience, that students are supported and achieve good outcomes, and that standards are protected, regardless of whether a provider is delivering its courses through in-person teaching, remote online learning or a combination of both.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to publish names of institutions which are offering fee reductions to their students, as HE providers are autonomous and are responsible for setting their own fees within maximum fee limits set by the Regulations, where applicable. The government has already announced that maximum fees in the 2021/22 academic year will remain at £9,250 for a standard full-time course. We also intend to freeze the maximum tuition fee caps for the 2022/23 academic year to deliver better value for students and to keep the cost of HE under control. This will be the fifth year in succession that maximum fees have been frozen.</p><p> </p><p>Whether an individual student is entitled to a refund of their tuition fees depends on the specific contractual arrangements between the provider and student. If students have concerns, there is a process in place. They should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education to consider their complaint.</p><p> </p><p>We routinely meet with the Student Loans Company on a range of matters and will continue to do so as we move forward through the COVID-19 outbreak. However, we have not had discussions with the Student Loans Company on a reduction in university fees for universities that are not planning to resume face-to-face teaching for the autumn term.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 35527 35529 35530 35531 35532 35533 question first answered 22/07/2021 15:22:31 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin