UCU: Preliminary figures are very worrying

General secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) Sally Hunt comments on evidence of a drop in university applications following the increase in tuition fees:

“The rise in tuition fees to as much as £9,000 has helped cause a 13% drop in applications to university. Today’s preliminary figures are very worrying. We believe putting financial barriers in front of young people who have been told their entire lives to aim for university is nothing more than a policy of penalising ambition.

“We are still waiting for some universities to readjust the cost of their degrees, which adds even more confusion to the situation. Students should be looking to study the courses most suited to their talents, not searching for something in their price range, and universities should not be forced into cutting prices to try and fill places.”