§ Mr. Rhodes Jamesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what tuition fees will be payable by overseas students entering courses in the academic year 1980–81.
§ Mr. Mark CarlisleThe effect of the decision regarding overseas students, set 597W out in today's announcement about the Government's expenditure plans for 1980–81, is that public funds will not be available to subsidise students from overseas beginning courses in September 1980, other than funds made available through overseas aid programmes. The fees of students already on course will not be affected by this. As regards the annual fees for new entrants for the academic year 1980–81, I have consulted the university grants committee and the local authority associations, which will be issuing recommendations to the universities and local education authorities respectively. These will be as follows:
Universities
Such fees as the institutions consider necessary to meet the cost of the education in question, subject to a minimum of £2,000 per annum in the case of an arts course, £3,000 per annum for a science course, and £5,000 per annum for the clinical years of courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science.Maintained and Voluntary Institutions
Advanced Non-advanced Laboratory and workshop-based courses 3,300 1,890 Classroom-based courses 2,400 1,380 No specific recommendations will be made in either sector about fees for postgraduate students. I am conscious that the contribution made by such students to research in the institutions they attend can be outstanding and I intend to arrange with the UGC for a scheme for granting bursaries to postgraduate research students of outstanding merit from overseas.I am also considering whether the arrangements outlined above may be modified to take account of the position of students from other member countries of the EEC.