In this Special Report...
The government’s plans for top-up fees in England will come into effect next year with students being charged up to £3,000 per year for degree courses, while Wales is finally struggling towards a decision. We monitor the reaction from universities and students.The NUS will not put on a national demonstration this year against raising the cap on tuition fees, contrary to the requests of some campaigners.
Tuition fees for non-Scottish students studying in Scotland are to rise by £500, the Scottish Executive has announced.
Universities will be able to charge the full £3,000 for a year's teaching course, but OFFA has stepped in to further complicate things with a small bursary.
Student loan debt rose by £2.5bn between 2002-3 and 2003-4, while the average debt to the SLC now tops £8,000.
A deal has finally been reached on top-up fees in Wales, meaning that Welsh students will not have to pay them - so long as they stay in Wales.
Having a degree no longer guarantees you an increased wage packet - and some degrees could actually leave you worse off, new research has found.
Concerns have been raised by the NUS that confusion over business in Parliament could have meant MPs unintentionally voted to introduce top-up fees in Northern Ireland.
The Rees Report into higher education funding has come up with six options for Wales, one of which would be unworkable and another of which is a flat fee of £3,000 for all students.
Most universities still look set to charge the full top-up fee amount across the board, the access regulator has said.
Almost all English universities plan to charge the maximum £3,000 a year tuition fee for degree courses from 2006, a survey by the Independent has shown.
Top-up fees are to be chargeable on postgraduate teacher training courses from 2006. Currently they are free and a teacher shortage looms on the horizon.
Leeds Met will charge fees of £2,000 across the board from 2006, making it the first university to go lower than the £3,000 maximum.
Oxford will hand out bursaries to students from low-income backgrounds totalling up to £13,000 from 2006.
'Bargain' degrees despite top-up fees?
Rumours abound that some English universities might buck the expected trend and charge less than the maximum £3,000 when top-up fees come into effect in 2006. The vice-chancellor of Leeds Met was the first to raise his head above the parapet in telling the BBC that he is in favour of lower fees for all degrees, although he doesn't expect to be able to get his plans past the university. The THES reckons that Bradford may also try to charge less, but it has denied the story.
We should know for sure by March when universities have to submit their plans to Offal (Offa? Ed.), the new access regulator.