£20,000 fees threat to middle-class students

Elite universities today warned that middle-class students could be charged the full cost of courses - up to £20,000 a year - if the Government bows to political pressure over tuition fees.

They spoke out days before legislation to allow universities to charge fees of up to £3,000 a year is announced in the Queen's Speech.

The warning comes in a letter to The Times from Oxford and Cambridge Universities, Imperial College and University College in London, and the London School of Economics.

Between them these receive a third of the £1 billion-ayear public funding for research.

They fear the Government's plans will be watered down to avert a massive rebellion by Labour backbenchers, who say top-up fees will deter poorer applicants, and massively increase student debt.

But today the universities warned concessions to the rebels could see them leave the state sector altogether, and charge middle class students up to £20,000 a year, reserving a minority of places for poorer, governmentfunded entrants.

They say that if the Bill fails UK higher education will fall hopelessly behind the United States, and the economy will be harmed.

The Russell Group, representing 19 leading universities, has already said they need at least £5,000 a year to maintain their international competitiveness, after cuts by successive governments which have seen funding per student halve in real terms over the last 20 years.

Education Secretary Charles Clarke has declared the upper limit for fees will not be raised again until 2011 at the earliest. Ministers are stressing students from poorer backgrounds will be offered full remission from fees, through grants and bursaries.

But they have made it clear they want universities to pay for this out of the extra income they receive from higher fees. The leading universities fear this will dilute the funding for top quality facilities and research.

Today Sir Richard Sykes, Rector of Imperial College, warned that top universities would not accept a freeze at £3,000 a year until 2011.

He said: "We don't want them to lose the Bill, but how much will they give away to get it through? If they give away too much, they have blown the chance. We would go downhill rapidly and we would have to consider other options.

"A number of universities that compete on a global stage are going to have to be free of government control, otherwise we will have lost the plot."