Buckingham offers cut-price business courses to win back students

The University of Buckingham is cutting its tuition fees on selected courses, saying the “time is right” to offer discounts, given the ongoing conversations about “value for money” in higher education.

Several accelerated business and management programmes – along with one in English and creative writing – will be eligible for an offer that could allow students to save 45 per cent compared with a traditional three-year degree at a rival university. 

Annual fees will be £7,830 and cost a total of £15,660 across the two years. This compares with £28,605 spent on a degree if a student is paying the full £9,535 yearly tuition fee.

Founded in 1976, Buckingham is the UK’s oldest private university and launched the offer to mark its 50th anniversary. It has long been known for its accelerated courses that offer a chance to complete a bachelor’s programme in a shorter space of time.

“It seemed to us the time was right, given all the wider debates around value for money and the student cost of living, that we offer something up in terms of getting those headline fees down to what is for us the lower limit available on the student loan,” Chris Payne, registrar and chief administrative officer at Buckingham told Times Higher Education.

Because Buckingham is a private provider, students are not able to access the full tuition fee loan. The institution’s fees are not capped and it has traditionally charged £27,750 for a two-year programme, comparable with the cost of a degree at most other English institutions.

Payne noted that the introduction of an upper limit for tuition fees of £9,000 in 2012 meant the entire sector “just moved to that cap point”.

“This is an opportunity to have a look at whether there is a different way that universities can structure their delivery and structure it at a price point that is fair for everybody,” he added.

The scheme will be available to those who apply for courses in business management and leadership, business entrepreneurship, business management and marketing, and English literature with creative writing.

Overall, Buckingham said students could save more than £25,000 when an extra year’s living costs are factored in.

It comes after the university endured a torrid 2025 as it was buffeted by financial and leadership issues. 

Last year former vice-chancellor James Tooley was suspended over allegations related to a past relationship. He was then reinstated, only to miss out when reapplying for the role.

In its 2024 accounts Buckingham, which does not receive government funding, recorded a £2.1 million deficit. Student recruitment numbers remained flat despite a 9 per cent growth target.

Universities are bracing for another cut-throat admissions round for the traditional autumn entry period. Recent years have seen higher-tariff institutions expand cohorts, with others losing out as a result. Experts are predicting that institutions will attempt various marketing techniques to attract students, including discounting. 

But experts have previously cautioned that any discounts to tuition fees for accelerated degrees may not be felt by students because of England’s tuition fee loan system.

Graduates entering university now will repay 9 per cent of income above a £25,000 salary threshold, and students on accelerated degrees will pay back the same amount as those on traditional degrees.

Speaking about the fee discounts, David Cole, interim vice-chancellor at Buckingham, said the offer “aims to continue this tradition by challenging assumptions about how university education is delivered and what it should cost. We want to demonstrate that it is possible to deliver a high-quality academic experience while providing better value for students”.

“We hope this will contribute to a wider conversation about how universities can respond to concerns around affordability while maintaining strong academic standards.”

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com