Fees may fall as universities bid for extra student places

At least a dozen universities are planning lower the tuition fees they were planning to charge students from next September so they can bid for additional student places.

Their move follows the Government's announcement that 20,000 places will be held back and offered only to universities or colleges charging less than £7,500. The scheme, announced in a White Paper over the summer, came after all of England's universities signed access agreements that permitted them to increase tuition fees. Two thirds opted to charge the maximum £9,000 a year.

The Office for Fair Access (OFFA), the university admissions watchdog, has received "about a dozen expressions of interest" from universities wanting to bid for the extra places.

Almost all came from universities planning to charge more than £7,500 a year, on average, but two came from institutions that were seeking fees of £9,000.