University tuition fees hit almost £10,000 under government reforms
Written by Elizabeth Earl on 5th November 2025
UK university students – including here at Sunderland – face rising annual fees.
Students at UK universities, including Sunderland, could pay close to £10,000 in tuition fees next year as a result of the government’s decision to tie them to inflation.
Tuition fees in England will increase in line with inflation each year from 2026, Education Secretary (and MP for Houghton and Sunderland South) Bridget Phillipson has announced.
The government will use the Retail Price Index (the ‘cost-of-living’ measure of annual UK price rises) to determine how much tuition fees will increase each academic year.
Based on the current rate of inflation (around 4%), students paying £9,535 this year would pay over £9,900 in 2026-27.
In order to justify the maximum fee increase, universities must achieve quality ratings and demonstrate strong outcomes for their students, the government said.
Josie, who studies Creative and Professional Writing at Sunderland University, said she is “not a big fan of” tuition fees going up, and thinks the increase would “definitely put people off” coming to university.
Chloe, a Film and Media student, told us: “I don’t think it’s good, because eventually we’ll have to pay it back, and that’s gonna leave us in more debt.”
International students, who make up 39.5% of the student population at Sunderland, are going to face a standard 6% levy on their tuition fees.
It will be up to universities to decide whether to pay the levy themselves or to pass the cost on to students.
Amir, an international student from Pakistan, said that he thinks the levy is “not fair”.
William, from Ireland, said: “It’s not good: education should be accessible to everyone. It doesn’t matter where you’re from at the end of the day – it’s gonna benefit the world in general.”
The government says imposing the levy will pay for its plans to bring back maintenance grants, which are payments made to eligible low-income students. Maintenance grants do not have to be repaid and were previously abolished in 2016.
Maintenance loans are also set to increase annually in line with inflation, meaning that as prices rise, students should have more money to cover costs.
We contacted Sunderland University Student’s Union for comment on the issue and will publish their response when it arrives.
