University tuition fees in England to rise with inflation every year from 2026

The government has announced that university tuition fees in the UK will increase in line with inflation every year from 2026.

Education Minister Bridget Phillipson confirmed the increase for the next two years and promised it would happen automatically every year from now on.

Maintenance loans will also increase every year in line with inflation.

Speaking in parliament, Phillipson said “collecting the full fees will depend on high-quality teaching” and that only universities that deliver strong outcomes for students will be able to charge maximum fees.

Universities that fall below the quality threshold set by the Office for Students, the UK regulator, will not be able to charge the new maximum fee and face the risk of a cap being imposed on the number of students they can recruit.

Tuition fees in England this academic year are £9,535. increased last year for the first time in more than a decade.

The measure of inflation used (Retail Price Index minus mortgage payments, or RPIx) will likely be used for future increases.

It is not yet clear how much students starting university in 2026 will be charged, as the inflation rate is likely to fluctuate before next year’s increase. If this were done at the current rate, wages would rise by around £400 a year to over £9,900.

Universities UK, which represents 141 universities, said the plans offered “a much-needed reset for our university system”.

“This makes clear that universities are a huge national asset, rightly appreciated around the world. We need them to be very good if we want national renewal,” said chief executive Vivienne Stern.

He added that raising fees in line with inflation would “help stop the long-term erosion of universities’ financial sustainability after a decade of fee freezes”.

But Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said the government was “doubling down on the disastrous tuition fee funding model that has created the crisis the sector now faces”.

The union published an analysis earlier this month suggesting universities were collectively declaring. More than 12,000 layoffs last year.

Prof Ian Dunn, chancellor of Coventry University, said the proposed increases were a “good thing” for universities but added that “under no circumstances will this solve the problem”.

“From a university perspective, it adds some revenue and will relieve some of the pressure,” he said.

“But it alone cannot solve the financial situation that universities are in right now.”

Coventry student Katie, who wants to become a teacher, says she finds student loans daunting and will probably “always pursue it”.

“I don’t even think I could ever repay that,” he said.

“This won’t happen, I know it won’t happen.”

Generally, there are no limits on the number of university places in the UK, except for a handful of regulated courses such as medicine.

In order to charge maximum fees, universities will be evaluated based on the additional value they add to the student’s academic journey; but given that the majority of students now graduate with first class degrees or 2:1 degrees, there are no details on how this will work in practice.

These standards are currently under consultation and it is unclear when they will replace the current teaching and excellence framework.

Although not easy for parents to understand or use, a similar approach to measuring schools’ performance based on Year 6 Key Stage 2 tests (Sats) and GCSE results already exists.

Detail recommended maintenance grants Some classes for some students are not expected until the end of this parliament until the fall budget on November 26.

The government’s white paper on post-16 skills and higher education also states that from autumn 2026, the new Right to Lifelong Learning will open tuition fee credits to anyone studying courses at a level equivalent to their first and second year of university.

There is an expectation from the government that universities will collaborate with further education colleges to make it easier for students to move from one to another to continue their education.

The changes announced on Monday will only apply to England as education is devolved to the rest of the UK. Tuition fees in Wales increased last year For the UK, a few weeks after the announcement it rose to £9,535, the same level as the UK.

Tuition fees in Northern Ireland were £4,750 in 2024-25 and the economy minister was there too Ignoring increases above the inflation price In May.

Scottish students do not pay any tuition fees to attend university in Scotland.

Additional reporting by Hope Rhodes and Hayley Clarke.