Student majority say top-up fees a deterrent

Two-thirds of students replying to an internet survey said they would not have gone to university had they been charged top-up fees of £4,500 a year, being proposed by the Russell Group of universities.

Visitors to bigbluespot.com , a website aimed at students, were asked: "Would you still have gone to university if you had to pay £4,500 a year fees?" Of 1,353 responses, 901 (66.6 per cent) answered no, while only 386 (28.5 per cent) answered yes.