Brunel students will face maximum fees

May 19 2011 By Dan Coombs, Uxbridge Gazette

brunel

BRUNEL University has confirmed that it is to charge students the maximum £9,000 in tuition fees from 2012.

The university, in Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, tried to soften the blow by announcing it was to make available an expanded range of scholarships.

In a statement it said: "The university believes this fee is necessary to maintain its strong focus on research-led teaching and the employability of its students.

"Brunel also recognises that the university must continue to invest in its facilities and curriculum in order to meet the needs of its students.

"Brunel has an excellent record in widening participation and is committed to providing a high-quality university education to all, based on merit rather than ability to pay.

"We are therefore also announcing that we intend to introduce an expanded package of scholarships and benefits to encourage talented under-represented groups to continue to study with us."

The charges are subject to agreement with the Office for Fair Access. * In Brunel's student newspaper, Le Nurb, editor Gaz Corfield writes: "Tuition fees are always an emotive subject. The thing is, very few students will admit - in public anyway - that they're a necessary evil.

"What most of us do realise is that you simply can't have something for nothing. Education beyond 18 is a privilege, not a right, and it's entirely correct that you should pay back the costs of your degree course.

"It's true that Brunel's decision to raise fees to £9,000 will saddle future students with greater debts, but on the flip side of the coin, if you want the benefits of our internation-ally acclaimed courses in engineering and design, why shouldn't you take short-term pain for long-term gain?

"It's just a shame that wannabe student politicians are too busy leading mobs of rioters into London at weekends and demanding to be 'taught rather than lectured' instead of accepting reality.

"Despite the massive publicity before the National Union of Students' demonstration against increased fees last year, only 400 Brunel students turned up, out of 15,000 registered here.

"In my opinion, making us students pay more for our degrees helps reduce the burden on the taxpayer and makes us think harder about whether a degree's actually worth it."