BREAKING NEWS: Kingston University to charge £8,500 in fees (From Your Local Guardian)

Kingston University to charge £8,500 in fees

3:07pm Friday 15th April 2011 in Kingston By Martin George

Vice chancellor Julius Weinberg said fees of £8,500 would enable Kingston University to "maintain a stable financial position in the face of significant funding cuts"

Kingston University will charge students £8,500 for the majority of its courses from September 2012, it announced this afternoon.

However, students studying pharmacy and studio-based art and design degrees will have to pay the maximum £9,000 allowed by the Government’s new tuition fee system.

Fees for its foundation year programme will start at £3,000, while foundation degrees will cost £6,000.

The Government had said institutions would only be able to charge more than £6,000 in “exceptional circumstances”, and would have to make places available to poorer students in exchange.

The university said almost £2.9m of the money raised in the first year would be used to support students, particularly those whose families had no experience of higher education and came from low income households.

Professor Julius Weinberg, who took over as vice chancellor on Friday, April 1, said: “From the outset, Kingston University has been very clear about its concern at the Government’s desire to increase tuition fees and we have reached our decision after very careful consideration.

“Despite our finances having been very well managed for many years, like most other institutions of a similar size which offer an extensive range of courses, we have found that only this fee level will enable us to maintain a stable financial position in the face of significant funding cuts.

“This package is designed to ensure the long-term future of the university and will mean we can continue to invest in the teaching excellence that is so important to all our students. A university education at Kingston will remain one of the best investments that can be made.”

A BBC survey suggested more than half of universities will levy £9,000.

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