Rise in tuition fees leads to 40% drop in university admissions

• Ten of the 24 leading universities register drops
• 51,000 fewer students started degree courses
• It follows rise in tuition fees cap to £9,000 a year
• Labour attacks the Government over the figures

By Alex Gore

The hike in tuition fees has caused 'wild and dangerous swings' in university admissions, with some institutions taking on 43 per cent fewer students that the previous year.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) revealed that 51,000 fewer students started degree courses last autumn - a fall of 12 per cent - after fees nearly trebled to £9,000 a year.
Ten of the 24 leading universities from the Russell Group, including Leeds, Imperial College London and Warwick, registered drops.

Enlarge  

Hardest hit: London Metropolitan University had 43 per cent fewer students starting degree courses last autumn compared to the previous year

London Metropolitan University, which last year had its licence to sponsor international students revoked, suffered the biggest fall at 43 per cent.

Enrolment also dropped 13 per cent at the University of Southampton, 10% at the University of Liverpool and 9% at the University of Sheffield.

There was also a 7 per cent decline at the University of Birmingham, Birmingham University and 6 per cent drops at the University of Leeds, Imperial and the University of London.
But some institutions managed to buck the trend, including University College London, where enrolment rose 22 per cent, and the University of Cardiff, which posted an increase of 13 per cent.

King's College London boasted a rise of 12 per, while admissions were up 11 per cent at the University of Edinburgh.

Anger: Police attempt to hold back tuition fees protestors at the Conservative Party's campaign headquarters in Millbank, London, in 2010

Shadow universities minster, Shabana Mahmood, said the figures show the Government's decision to raise the cap on fees is having a chaotic impact on higher education.

She told The Guardian: 'Ucas reports wild and dangerous swings - with some huge losers and some winners - but the variations show severe volatility in the system that should be a concern for everyone. 
'The government must now answer for the damage it has done to those universities that have suffered as a consequence of their reforms and decision to raise fees to £9,000'
Ms Mahmood said the decline could have a devastating impact on local economies of cities such as Manchester and Leeds.
Patrick McGhee, vice-chancellor of University of East London and chairman of Million+, which represents new universities, said the figures do not include a decline in students studying part-time.

'Chaotic': Labour says the Government 'must answer for the damage it has done'

He told The Times: 'The need for Government to launch a campaign to promote the value of higher education is all too obvious.'
In 2010, thousands of people staged a series of protests against a rise in fees ahead of the vote in the House of Commons.

There were violent scenes at the Conservative Party's Millbank campaign headquarters in London.
Protesters stormed the building and a fire extinguisher was thrown from the roof.

The Liberal Democrats bore the brunt of many people's anger and last year Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg apologised for an election pledge not to raise fees.