Next week will see the announcement of the firstset of agreements between the Government's new university access watchdog - the
Office for Fair Access - and individual universities.
Spending on "outreach" activities such as summer schools and master classes to help pupils improve GCSE and A-level grades rose by 15 per cent last year to pounds 45.7 million, up on pounds 39.6 million in 2009/10, a report by the
Office for Fair Access said.
Teesside University, in Middlesbrough, has lowered its fees following approval by the
Office for Fair Access (OFFA).
"The
Office for Fair Access has yet to agree the measures universities will adopt to widen participation where the proposed fees are above the pounds 6,000 level.
All universities planning to charge more than pounds 6,000 will have to have their fees approved by the
Office for Fair Access (Offa), and sign access agreements showing how they plan to ensure poorer students are not priced out.
To charge more than pounds 6,000, universities need approval from the Government's
Office for Fair Access.
A study by the
Office for Fair Access (OFFA) reveals that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are not influenced by the size of a bursary on offer when picking universities.
The Ormskirk-based establishment has been ranked in the UK top 10 by The
Office For Fair Access on the back of figures which show it gives back 35% of all its tuition fees in the form of bursaries, scholarships and support packages.
Newman is ranked in the top ten of all universities in a survey issued by the
Office for Fair Access. The Access Agreement Monitory Report analysed how well higher education institutions had widened participation through support to students from lower income backgrounds from the additional income generated from top-up fees that were introduced in 2006.
The Government has set up a new
Office for Fair Access to university to make the admissions systems fairer.