Leading Article: Freedom on fees

Today's critique from the National Union of Students of the new funding regime for university students is an attempt to influence the debate in advance of the review that was promised by Tony Blair.

The NUS does not like one or two aspects in particular – the fact that universities offer different levels of bursary and the notion that the cap might be raised on the fee limit of £3,000 a year.

The NUS may get its way on the latter but it would be a shame if the Government were to replace the patchwork quilt of bursaries with a national scheme. The more freedom universities have to set fees and bursaries the better.