RISING tuition fees could cause Winchester University to lose out on future students The Browne Report released on Tuesday, October 12, recommended universities should be allowed to set the price of their tuition fees.

Fees are currently capped at £3,290 per year of degree, but if the report is approved it could increase the amount to £12,000.

The report has been labelled unfair by Winchester Student Union president Seb Miell, who says it could stop future generations from getting degrees.

He said: “These new figures of £7,000-plus will strike fear into those thinking about university and the result is simple – more and more people will stop going to university and that is not fair.

“It doesn’t immediately affect students at university now but it will have an impact on their brothers and sisters, so we need to take action now.”

Mr Miell also argued the money from the last tuition fee increase was not being used effectively.

He said: “The fees were doubled four years ago but we have seen no improvements in the student-staff ratio, so any decision to increase fees now is hard to take.”

Professor Joy Carter, Vice Chancellor of the University of Winchester, said: “The recommendation to remove the cap on tuition fees may present greater investment opportunities for the University.

“However we are concerned that the impending funding cuts, due to be announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review next week, might actually leave universities with unsustainable losses that potentially will not be recouped by any proposed increase in tuition fees.”