Parents with children attending universities in England can expect to be hit with soaring tuition fees starting in 2012, the UK Government revealed yesterday.

Universities will raise costs to £6,000 ($9,650), with an upper limit of £9,000 ($14,500) if schools agree to widen access to poorer students. The current tuition rate for Bermudian students with a UK passport is £3,290 ($5,300).

According to parent Diana Antonition, the increase could sway the decision of some parents to send their children to England. However, mother-of-three Ianthia Wade said fees at British universities were still more affordable than the US or Canada.

American universities cost international students more than $40,000 per year; while Canadian universities can range from $11,250 to $21,500 the rate at University of Toronto.

Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons called the move to rise UK fees "unfortunate".

"Regrettably a number of Bermudian college students will be facing a higher tuition bill in the UK in the next couple of years," Dr. Gibbons said.

"But even with the anticipated increase, UK rates for Bermudians are still considerably lower than comparable rates in the United States at selective colleges and universities.

"It's unfortunate that this is one of the many cuts the current UK Government needs to make to address their enormous budget deficit," he added.

The increase was made in an effort to transfer the costs of courses from the state to the student. It will subsidise the funding cut from British universities in last month's spending review.

Many courses, particularly in arts and humanities, will be hit hardest and will depend solely on income from student's fees.

Rosie Doughty will be sending the last of her three children off to university, most likely in the UK, in the next few years.

She said: "I think a lot more people have been considering going to the UK since they lowered the fees and made it more manageable for people to do it.

"It gave Bermudian students and UK students access to some pretty amazing opportunities and it would be a sad thing if the finances prevented people from sending their children there because it's a different degree system than Canada."

Mrs. Antonition, whose daughter just began a degree at London's Kingston University, said: "It is concerning because that was one of the best aspects was the affordability. If they raise it you are going to have to re-budget because there is that extra funding that you are going to have to come up with.

"One of the factors for us looking at the UK, one was the price and ... also the programme, the UK has the best education for the programme that she wants.

"You now have to weigh the pros up because you are paying higher airfares and the cost of living. If they start going all the way back up I think that might sway the decision of some parents."

Mrs. Wade said she was "elated" when then-Premier Ewart Brown made the arrangement with the UK to get Bermudian students the same tuition rates as European Union students.

Even though she was initially surprised by the possible three-fold cost hike, Mrs. Wade said England was still the most affordable option for many parents.

"It was a great idea when the UK came up with the set costs on all the schools, but with the crisis on the economy I can understand the rise. It's still in no way the cost of education in the US.

"What's more important to me is it's two years' notice, and in comparison to the US and Canada it is still something that is affordable."

Some people who wrote in to The Royal Gazette's Facebook page also voiced their views on the matter. One man said: "Holy crap, that's a serious increase!"

Another woman added: "Not liking this! Why (are) they doing that?"

The increased tuition will not affect students studying in Scotland, where fees are not attached to learning. It also doesn't affect students in Northern Ireland and Wales, who are currently charged a maximum of £3,290 ($5,300).

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