Further tuition fee rises would be a disaster for English universities

THANKS to recent policies introduced in Westminster, many young people are facing the difficult decision of whether university is worth the debt they will still be repaying in their 50s and 60s.

The Sutton Trust found that English university tuition fees are the highest in the developing world.

The average amount of debt for a graduate in England is £44,000 and students applying to enter university in 2017 will face tuition fees of up to £9,250 per year.

The announcement of the further rise of tuition fees last week means that many young people in England are wondering whether university is a promising investment.

For many students, especially from low income backgrounds, the fees of university are enough to sway them onto a completely different and cheaper path.

In Scottish universities, students from Scotland do not have to pay tuition fees.

Northern Irish students have fees of up to £3,925 at their universities and Welsh students have fees of £3,810.

This shows that other parts of the UK value equal opportunity in higher education more than we do here in England, allowing their young people to reach their full potentials.

On top of the problem of an increase in fees in England, the recent vote for Brexit also means that it will be more difficult for British students to opt to study abroad in an EU country where fees are significantly fairer.

Overall, the decision to continually increase tuition fees for students will restrict the opportunities of future generations and widen the country's class divide.