Overview

• Tuition fees rose by 3.1% to £9,535 for courses starting this autumn, marking the first increase since 2017.
• Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has not ruled out annual inflation-linked fee hikes, and the Department for Education is considering permanently indexing fees or changing the law for automatic uplifts.
• An Office for Students report predicts that about 40% of English universities will fall into deficit this year without further funding adjustments.
• Maintenance loans were increased by 3.1%, giving many low-income students up to £414 extra per year to help with living costs.
• Sector groups warn that inflation-linked fees could surpass £10,000 by 2027 and say indexation is vital to reverse the real-terms funding decline since 2017.