Part-time students will have to pay their fees "up front"

An open letter signed by more than 20 vice-chancellors says part-time students must be given fair treatment over tuition fees in England.

From next year, full-time students will not have to repay fees until they are working - but part-timers will still have to pay "up front".

The universities say that 40% of undergraduates are studying part-time.

The letter has been organised by the group Campaigning for Mainstream Universities (CMU), which says its members are worried that part-time students will be unable to afford the fee increases next year.

Priced out

Fees for full-time students will rise to a maximum of �3,000 per year from next year - but full-time students will be able to get loans to cover this which they will not have to pay back until after they have graduated.

Most universities say they need to charge the full amount - but Pam Tatlow, CMU's chief executive, says they fear that charging part-time students the full, proportional amount could mean preventing them from studying.

Part-time students taking 50% of a course each year might be expected to pay half the fee - currently in the region of �600, says Ms Tatlow.

But with the fees increase for 2006, this could see part-time students having to pay �1,500 up front, which could be prohibitive.

Withholding the full increase would mean universities would have to use their own money to subsidise part-time students, says Ms Tatlow.

She says that universities are dismayed by the government's lack of action over this impending problem - as universities are trying to prepare their financial plans for next year.

The type of "new" university represented by CMU will be particularly under pressure, as they have a higher number of part-time students taking vocational courses.

And the universities argue that if the government wants to expand participation in higher education, part-time study will be an important route for students who might have jobs or childcare responsibilities.

'Fair access'

"The economy, regional regeneration and the social cohesion of Britain have been enhanced by the flexible modes of study which our institutions provide," says the vice-chancellors' letter.

"Equity of treatment for part-time students from 2006 and fair funding of the universities which support their studies are crucial to fair access to the benefits of university education."

The government has announced an improved level of means-tested support for part-time students - up from �575 to �840 a year. And for the first time there will be extra funding for students who are studying more intensively.

A survey published by the Department for Education and Skills in December 2004 showed that the "typical" part-time student was a 37-year-old woman with a full-time job.

Fees paid by students ranged between �400 and �1,000 per year - and almost two thirds of part-time students had full-time jobs.

About a third of part-time students had all their fees paid by their employers and 41% were receiving some financial help from employers.