Imperial costs most in market

The market-rate tuition fee for a science degree is more than £10,000 a year at ten universities in the UK. The revelation comes a week after Imperial College, London, approved proposals to charge market-rate fees, subject to certain caveats, writes Alison Goddard.

Imperial is the most expensive, charging overseas students £12,600 a year for a science degree; many Imperial science degrees take four years to complete.

The college does charge far higher fees to medical students - some £20,700 a year - but the analysis was confined to general arts and sciences courses.

The study was done by Mike Reddin, a former senior tutor at the London School of Economics, who compiled the data from individual universities, some of which have yet to respond.

He gathered information on the fees charged to home and European Union students, overseas students doing arts degrees, overseas students doing science degrees and the amounts charged to students who are spending a year at a UK university as part of their studies.

The work includes private and overseas universities operating in the UK. However, Imperial, University College London and King's College London are more expensive than any private institution, such as the University of Buckingham.

The data also show how publicly funded institutions charge different rates for different subjects, whereas independent institutions charge a flat rate across all subjects.

Imperial's proposals to charge market-rate tuition fees included plans for a flat fee across all subjects.

Some 800 students lined the route from Imperial's rector Sir Richard Sykes's office to the council's meeting room at the rector's house on campus last Friday, in a silent protest at the proposals. Some wore signs displaying their levels of debts.

Meanwhile, Sir Derek Roberts, provost of UCL, this week told students that top-up fees would be £7,000 a year initially.

THE RISING COSTS OF STUDY

Complete league table

Institution

Home
 tuition fee Overseas
arts fee Overseas
science fee

Imperial

£1100

£9,800

£12,600

UCL

£1100

£9,355

£12,160

King's

£1100

£8,800

£10,950

Buckingham

£10,800

£10,800

£10,800

Richmond, American International

£10,432

£10,432

£10,432

Queen Mary

£1100

£8,390

£10,300

Durham

£1100

£7,640

£10,220

Edinburgh *

£1100

£7,720

£10,150

Bristol

£1100

£7,690

£10,105

UMIST

£1100

£7,800

£10,000

Plymouth

£1100

£6500

£7250

Huddersfield

£1100

£6385

£7185

Westminster

£1100

£6820

£7150

Northumbria

£1100

£6565

£7150

Ulster

£1100

£7105

£7105

Bournemouth 

£1100

£6500

£7100

Queen Margaret University College (2001/2)

£1100

£6600

£7000

Glasgow Caledonian *

£1100

£6500

£7000

Teesside

£1100

£6000

£7000

Coventry (2003/4)

£1100

£6900

£6900

Falmouth College of Arts

£1100

£5500

£6900

The Arts Institute at Bournemouth

£1100

£6825

£6825

St Martin's College

£1100

£6750

£6750

Wolverhampton

£1100

£6600

£6600

Higher Education

£1100

£6000

£6540

Staffordshire

£1100

£6500

£6500

Surrey, Roehampton

£1100

£6400

£6400

Somerset College of Arts and Technology

£1100

£5400

£6000

* Scottish students in Scotland do not pay the upfront tuition fee. The figure quoted is that charged to home and EU students from outside Scotland.
** Somerset College of Arts and Technology; degrees awarded by University of Plymouth.
Full details: www.lse.u-net.com