Tuition fee rises.

You may have seen or heard on the news that on 4 November the Government announced tuition fees for undergraduate students will increase by £285, from £9,250 to £9,535. This decision has been made in line with our partner institution, The University of Central Lancashire, that both new and current undergraduate students will pay the increased fees of £9,535 per year from September 2025. 

Postgraduate students will not be affected by this announcement.

What does this mean for students?

With the increase in tuition fees, if you are currently receiving a tuition fee loan to pay for your studies, it means that you’ll need to borrow more money to cover your education costs. The Government is changing student loan arrangements to match this cost, so you won’t need to pay anything up front. However, we recognise that this means you’ll be graduating with a higher total debt. 

You should be reassured that you won’t see higher monthly repayments when it comes to paying back your student loan as the amount you repay is based on what you earn, not what you borrow. You’ll also still only start paying back your student loan once you earn above a certain amount. And while the total debt may be higher, any remaining debt is written off after 40 years.

Maintenance loans

In addition, English students’ maintenance loans will rise by 3.1% in line with inflation meaning a maximum of £317 extra funding can be borrowed to support each year starting from academic year 2025/26. The amount students can claim for maintenance loans will continue to be means tested.

Maintenance Loans for Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish students are processed through a different system. For the most up to date information, please see Student Awards Agency Scotland, Student Finance Northern Ireland, and Student Finance Wales.

Why has there been an increase in fees?

The reason for the fee increase is that tuition fees have remained largely static for 12 years, and in that time inflation has risen significantly – meaning that the money universities receive from fees is effectively worth much less than it was years ago, reducing the ability to fund the infrastructure to deliver your course and support your learning as effectively as we would like.

Despite the fee increase announcement, we can reassure you that investing in a degree remains fantastic value for money. You are the skilled workforce of the future and industry figures show that by age 31, graduate salaries are 37% more than their counterparts who didn’t go to university.

Is there any additional financial support?

Spirit Studios offers a bursary to provide additional support to undergraduate students. For students with an annual household income of below £20,000, we can offer a bursary split across each academic year to support your studies. To find out more email bursary@spiritstudios.ac.uk

If you are concerned about the increase in fees, and are struggling to with the cost of studying please contact Student Welfare on studentwelfare@spiritstudios.ac.uk

Frequently asked questions

Who is affected by the increase in fees?

All UK* undergraduate students studying at universities from 1 August 2025 onwards will be affected by the increase – so this will affect current and new UK* undergraduate students.

*UK and EU settled and pre-settled students.

I am a part time student, how much will my fees go up?

If you are a part-time undergraduate student, your fees will increase inline with the annual fees, from £1,540 per 20 credit module to £1,587 per 20 credit module.

If you are a part-time Masters student your fees won’t be affected. 

How will I pay the extra fees?

The majority of students won’t notice the increase, as the Student Loans Company pays your fees directly to the University. However, the amount you ultimately owe the Student Loans Company will increase. Student loans aren’t payable until you reach a certain salary, and this is between £24,990 -£31,395, depending on which plan you are on (you can check this here on the GOV.UK website).