Ag students facing top tuition fees of £9000

Young farmers wanting an agricultural degree face paying the maximum £9000 in tuition fees from 2012.

The Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, Reading University and Nottingham University have all announced plan to set fees at £9000, subject to approval by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA).

The RAC said the fees will be directed at improving the student experience on campus at Cirencester and will enable the RAC to widen participation and fair access.

As part of the new arrangements the RAC will be developing student funding packages to encourage more applications from less well-off students.

The University of Reading, which also runs agricultural courses, said the fee would help to provide first-class facilities and student accommodation.

The University of Nottingham, which has a School of Biosciences at its Sutton Bonington campus, said it wanted to invest further in a world-class student experience

A spokeswoman for Harper Adams University College said tuition fees would be announced next week. Newcastle University is also yet to decide what fees it will charge

All institutions that want to charge more than the new basic fee of £6,000 must have an access agreement approved by OFFA on an annual basis.