Overseas students charged extra 10 per cent

Overseas students starting courses at Cambridge University next year are set to be hit by a 10% hike in tuition fees.

Under the proposals, many international arts and humanities students will pay at least £13,000 a year, while some science courses will cost almost £20,000.

The increase comes at a time when Cambridge has said it will be running a cumulative deficit of around £30 million over the next three years.

The figures, published in the Cambridge University Reporter and first reported in the Times Higher Education magazine, show that new international students starting courses in 2012-13 will pay an extra 10% on the 2011-12 fee.

The report says the increase reflects "a further rise in university costs and the fees charged by comparable international institutions".

Fees for international students starting next year are already 10% higher than present levels thanks to a rise which was announced last spring, Times Higher Education reported.

Fees for overseas students continuing their studies next year will increase by an inflation figure of 4.8%, the figures show.

The proposals have to be approved by Cambridge University's "parliament", the Regent House.

Cambridge, which intends to charge UK students the maximum £9,000 fees from 2012, is understood to be running deficits on teaching and research over the next three years, a cumulative total of around £30 million.