§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the levels of tuition fees are for overseas students attending universities in England and Wales in each year since 1996; and what concessions applied to students from(a) low income and (b) heavily indebted poor countries. [62027]
§ Margaret HodgeThe requested information is not held centrally. Universities are responsible for setting their own level of tuition fees for overseas students. Overseas fees are generally around £6,000 to £8,000 per year for an undergraduate course but can range from £4,000 to £17,000 per year depending on the institution, the level and the type of course. The UK Government and other UK organisations provide a number of scholarships and awards to help international students study in the UK. For example, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is providing up to 1,000 extra postgraduate and research places through the Chevening scholarship scheme. Universities also have flexibility in dealing with individual students' circumstances and waive or reduce fees where they consider appropriate: a number of universities are currently waiving overseas fees for students from Zimbabwe.