Sheffield Hallam announce fees are to be £8,500

By Jessica Hassall

Professor Philip Jones the Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University has announced the fees for applicants applying after 2012

The Governments' change in funding for higher education means universities will lose 80% of their teaching grant and capital funding for buildings and facilities. This is going to affect many undergraduate students to be as Sheffield Hallam is the fifth most popular university in the UK in terms of applications.

Under the current system previously enforced by the labour party students pay £3,375 per year of study towards the cost of their tuition. The Government then make up the rest of the cost through the use of the teaching grant. The new system created means the Government's contribution will be decreased by a large amount and consequently students will have to make up the total amount of the fee's themselves.

Both Sheffield Hallam and Sheffield University students have voiced their opinions on the fee rise through protests in the city centre of Sheffield. Back in November students marched through the centre with banners and posters expressing their unhappiness with the new system. Now the fees have officially been announced, current students at Hallam realise how lucky they are to escape such a financially crippling change. Bethany Schroder a second year student said, 'I can't believe how much this is going to change the way university had finally become, people from all backgrounds are able to come to university but that will all change. It's ridiculous how much debt you already get into from getting a degree, I can't imagine what people who have to pay £8,500 are going to do. I'm counting myself very lucky.'

The Vice Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam, Philip Jones said, 'the University has worked hard to determine not only what the current cost of delivering a degree course is, but also what we need to allow us to invest for the future.'

The changes to fees has made the decision about going to University a very serious one, which one? how far? which course? Are all dilemmas you'd face when making the decision about University but now the question maybe, can I? Some people will simply not be able to financially cope with the strains this new system has brought about.

Sheffield Hallam students are very against the change Suzanne O'hara an Environmental studies student said, 'Even though it doesn't affect me it still angers me because I know what University entails financially. Us current students know how tough it can be to handle loans and rent and learn to budget, 'students to be' are really going to have a tough time coping with that sort of debt, just seems totally unfair.'

Universities may not achieve a broad range of applicants from a variety of backgrounds if their decision to come to University is already made up for them because of financial problems. Hallam's fees have nearly tripled in amount what does the future hold for UK Universities?