Reduce University student tuition fees from £9250 to £3000
581,287 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 5 October 2020; it closed on 5 April 2021. The Government responded on 26 January 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 25 October 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Reduce University student tuition fees from £9250 to £3000
Call on the government to consider holding debates in Parliament between MPs and university students to raise/discuss issues that affect them. It will allow students to voice their opinions and concerns about tuition fees of £9250 a year which are too high, particularly as grants have been removed
Higher education is the key for our nation’s future, live Parliament debates involving MPs and students are crucial to give them the opportunity to raise the issues of concern in particular reducing University student fees & other matters impacting their lives including accommodation costs. The debates should include university students, post graduates, those from poorer backgrounds and disabilities also college students. Covid-19 has left the nation’s future economy/job market uncertain
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 26 January 2021; the petitions site lists the Department for Education as responsible. Its summary:
Tuition fee levels must represent value for money and ensure that universities are properly funded. Government is not considering a reduction in maximum fee levels to £3,000.
The opening 393 words of the 751-word response:
This is a difficult time for students and Government supports the desire of everyone in higher education (HE) that students continue receiving the best possible learning experience, while recognising the wide range of issues that have arisen from the pandemic.
Students have made their voice heard through a range of e-petitions over the past year. Government’s responses to previous petitions on fee refunds can be read here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/302855 and here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/324762. The Petitions Committee held an inquiry into the impact of Covid-19 on students, and Parliament debated its impact on students on 16 November 2020. This can be viewed at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/324762. Students may engage with the democratic process further by writing to their MP.
Regarding tuition fee levels, this Government is committed to a sustainable funding model that supports high-quality provision, meets the skills needs of the country and maintains the world-class reputation of UK HE.
The maximum tuition fee cap has been frozen for four years and will remain at £9,250 in 2021/22 for standard full-time courses. HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees under this level. In deciding to keep charging full fees, providers will want to ensure that they can continue to deliver courses which are fit for purpose and help students progress their qualifications. The Office for Students (OfS) has made it clear that HE providers must continue to comply with registration conditions relating to quality and academic standards, which set out requirements to ensure that courses are high-quality, that students are supported and achieve good outcomes and that standards are protected, regardless of whether a provider is delivering its courses through face-to-face teaching, online learning, or a combination of both.
The OfS is taking very seriously the potential impacts of the pandemic on teaching and learning and is regularly engaging with all registered providers. It is actively monitoring providers to ensure that they maintain the quality of their provision; that it is accessible for all; and that they have been clear in their communications with students about how arrangements for teaching and learning may change throughout the year. If students have concerns about the quality of online tuition, they should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education to consider their complaint.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 2,920, came from Brighton, Pavilion.
578,816 of the signatures were from the UK and 2,471 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Brighton, Pavilion | 2,920 |
| East Ham | 2,742 |
| Bethnal Green and Bow | 2,716 |
| Ilford South | 2,643 |
| Holborn and St Pancras | 2,636 |
| Bristol West | 2,632 |
| Liverpool, Riverside | 2,609 |
| Kingston and Surbiton | 2,530 |
| West Ham | 2,527 |
| Poplar and Limehouse | 2,445 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 113,295 |
| South East | 92,652 |
| North West | 62,584 |
| East of England | 55,026 |
| West Midlands | 50,892 |
| South West | 47,764 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 41,730 |
| East Midlands | 39,778 |
| Wales | 24,855 |
| North East | 20,232 |
| Northern Ireland | 5,514 |
| Scotland | 4,974 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 25 October 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/550344.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
56bd2d74ff9b7726… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.