There are fears fees could deter students from poorer backgrounds

Students from the Russell Group of top research universities have sent special Valentine's cards to politicians urging them to fight for equal access.

And on Wednesday, the students staged an anti-fees lobby at the Welsh Assembly, Westminster and Holyrood.

New figures suggest students have not been put off by higher tuition fees.

Last week, figures from the admissions service, Ucas, showed the number of students applying to UK universities had gone up by 6.4%.

In the review of fees, access is the first criteria and never something that can be fobbed off Brian Duggan, Aldwych group

Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said this showed tuition fees were not putting students off applying to university, as critics of higher fees had predicted.

But Brian Duggan, chairman of the Aldwych group, the students' unions of the Russell Group of universities, said there was not enough detail in the figures.

He said they did not show if potential students from poorer backgrounds and ethnic minorities were still applying.

"They have not released any statistics about the number of ethnic minority students and low income backgrounds applying," he said.

"The Russell Group of universities tends to do less well than others on this, so this lobby is about ensuring that access to these institutions is fair and equitable.

"We are lobbying on behalf of the students at our universities and for the countless others who have the ability to study, but not the means.

"This government needs to be providing that means and must recognise that, in the review of fees, access is the first criteria and never something that can be fobbed off."

'Litmus test'

He added: "We will continue this pressure until the government recognises that students do not love top-up fees and will never learn to do so."

The National Union of Students president Gemma Tumelty said the "real litmus test" on the impact of top-up fees was whether under-represented groups were driven away from applying to university.

Since September, universities in England and Northern Ireland have been allowed to charge a maximum of �3,000 a year in tuition fees.

Those in Wales can also charge �3,000 in fees, but because the Welsh Assembly opposes top-up fees, Welsh students studying in Wales only have to pay �1,200, with the assembly making up the rest.

But England-based students applying to universities in Wales have to pay the full fee.

Scottish universities also charge fees, but these are paid by the Scottish Executive.