Ministers will allow higher top-up fees for some courses, Dearing says

Lord Dearing, who published the inquiry into higher-education finance in 1997 that paved the way for university fees, predicted ministers would lift the £3,000-a-year cap on top-up fees "sufficiently" to allow different fees for different subjects.

Speaking to a conference organised by Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, he argued that, for courses such as arts, where students did not stand to gain that much financially, it did not make sense to introduce a major rise.

Related articles

• Leading article: Set them all free to fix their own fees
• Search the news archive for more stories

Science and engineering - which attract students with difficulty - are similar. He said it would be "politically difficult" for ministers just to lift the £3,000 ceiling - in their 2009 review- and allow the market to dictate what should be charged. He also cautioned vice-chancellors not to expect a major rise in government funding.