INFLATIONARY increases to UK university fees are going to hit Jersey parents already facing higher-education funding pressures and any price hikes must be reflected in Island student grants, the head of a support group has said.
Nikki Heath, who chairs the Jersey Student Support Loan Group, called on Education Minister Rob Ward to match any fee rises for 2026.
It comes as UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced in the House of Commons this week that tuition fees in England will rise in line with forecast inflation rates from 2026.
The higher fees impact undergraduate courses at all higher education providers in England. The exact amount students will be charged is unclear, however if it was calculated at the current rate of inflation, university fees would rise by approximately £400 to over £9,900 a year.
Ms Heath said that fee changes in England do not necessarily impact its students while studying as rises are paid through UK government loans, whereas, parents of students in Jersey will be directly impacted by any rises “immediately”, especially if their children do not receive grant funding from Student Finance.
Additionally, she pointed out that UK student loans are not means-tested while that is the case for households in Jersey on a student-by-student basis, no matter the inflation rate or number of students in a family.
She said the Education Minister ought to match any fee rises for 2026 but that the long-term decision on Jersey’s university funding model will be for the successive minister following next year’s election.
She explained: “For our parents or students, any rise impacts them immediately if they don’t have a grant to cover the costs.”
“We’d hope that Deputy Ward matches any fee rise for next year. If the minister does not increase the grant to cover the rise in fees then it will further increase the cost to our students and their parents.”
Ms Phillipson also announced that maintenance loans will rise in line with inflation in the UK and said the new rules will apply for two years from 2026. Afterwards she said she intends to bring forward legislation to automate the fee calculation each year in line with inflation rates.
She added that targeted maintenance loans for “students most in need” would also apply from 2026.
It comes as the second tuition fee rise in England in as many months with fees rising for the first time in eight years in September, taking annual payments for each student up to a £9,535 from £9,250.
