Opposition to tuition fees lacks evidence, say vice-chancellors

The tripling of tuition fees in England in 2012 has not deterred youngsters from going to university, says Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors.

The debate around widening access to higher education should be “rigorously” based on evidence, rather than on “easily made but incorrect assumptions,” Dandridge said in a blog post on 1 June.

She added that the causes of different participation levels in higher education are “numerous and complex”.