Students may face £15,000 bill for degree

Students could be faced with paying £15,000 for their three-year university degree courses because of a shake-up in higher education, the Government has signalled.

Margaret Hodge, the minister for Higher Education, questioned for the first time yesterday whether present subsidies of between £3,000 and £4,000 a year from the taxpayer for every student should continue.

"Many of those taxpayers have never had the privilege or the benefit of a university education," Mrs Hodge told a conference organised by Universities UK, the umbrella body that represents vice-chancellors. "Should the dustman continue to subsidise the doctor or should the doctors contribute towards the cost of their own education?"

At the moment, students pay up to £1,000 a year in tuition fees – making the cost to the student £15,000 if ministers go for the option of charging better-off students the full cost of their university education.

Mrs Hodge's remarks were the clearest signal yet that the Government is planning to unveil plans for a large rise in fees when it publishes its blueprint on higher education early next year. It is the first time the pros-pect of those from better-off homes paying full-cost fees has been floated.

Her comments angered university lecturers. Sally Hunt, the general secretary of the Association of University Teachers, said: "We're totally opposed to any moves towards making students pay full-cost tuition fees for their courses and will stand shoulder to shoulder with students on this issue."

Mrs Hodge was not specific as to whether payment would be through up-front fees or a graduate tax. Yesterday in the Commons, Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, ruled out introducing top-up fees in this Parliament but left open the option of introducing such charges later.