Universities are offering students lower tuition fee options and other incentives in the face of financial struggles and falling enrolment numbers across the sector.
The University of Buckingham is offering students on selected two-year accelerated bachelor’s degrees tuition fees of just £7,830 a year – which means graduating with £26,000 less debt than a standard three-year degree.
It comes as some under-pressure universities are looking for ways to attract more students, according to Iain Mansfield, the head of education at the Policy Exchange think-tank. “There’s a scramble for students.”
University income streams have been hit by tighter visa rules affectng the number of international students and the tuition fee cap for domestic students.
Student numbers fell slightly for a second year in a row, driven by a 10 per cent drop in international students, according to 2024/25 data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
