QMU announce £27,000 RUK fees

Queen Margaret University (QMU) in Edinburgh will set tuition fees for rest of UK (RUK) students at £27,000, it announced today.

The cost of studying at the University for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland starting the 2012/2013 academic year onwards will be £6,750 a year.

Robin Parker, NUS Scotland President, commented:

"We are opposed to any tuition fees, but by setting their degree costs at £27,000 QMU have matched some of the worst excesses of the English tuition fee system.

”This decision means that degrees at QMU will cost students from the rest of the UK even more than if they choose to go to competitor institutions like Glasgow Caledonian, RGU or Napier.”

Mr Parker pointed out that the hiked fees are particularly worrying as a fifth of QMU’s student population are RUK students, and that the cost of a degree from the University will now be higher than from Oxford or Cambridge.

Melvin Henley, Vice President of QMU Students’ Union said:

"The Students’ Union at Queen Margaret University is fundamentally opposed to student tuition fees of any sort. I, along with the rest of the Officers Committee, am disappointed that Queen Margaret University has not shown more courage and dared to set lower, more accessible RUK fees.

"However, we are pleased at the honest approach they have taken in spreading the cost over four years rather than penalising those students unsuited or unable to complete their honours year. The Students’ Union also welcomes Queen Margaret’s proposed widening access bursaries to help students from low-income households.

"Queen Margaret University Students’ Union will continue its dialogue with the University to ensure that it works towards getting the fairest deal for all students.”

Stirling University also reported the implementation of £27,000 RUK fees today, with the president of the Students’ Association Luke Fenton commenting:

"It is unfortunate that the University of Stirling has had to raise its fee for rest of UK students. However I also think that Stirling has set a fee that shows that a cap lower than £9,000 is needed.

"The fee that the University has set, whilst not the lowest fee, will allow students a fairer deal than some other institutions. Stirling University now needs to come forward with a coherent and fair bursary package, so that students from poorer backgrounds in the rest of the UK can continue to access the high quality of education that this University provides, and we look forward to working closely with the University in order to ensure that they work well for students.”