UK: Open University sets £5,000 tuition fees

The Open University has announced tuition fees of £5,000 (US$8,801) per year for the equivalent of a full-time place for students in England from next year, writes Sean Coughlan for the BBC. This will mean that the Open University, which provides degree courses by distance learning, will have among the lowest fees in England.

Vice chancellor Martin Bean promised "high-quality, flexible and great value-for-money education for all". The majority of universities will charge £9,000 for some or all courses.

More than two-thirds of the Open University's students are studying part-time, and the university will be expecting to benefit from the introduction of loans for part-time students.

For a typical part-time Open University student, studying at the level of half of full-time, the fees will be £2,500 per year.
Full report on the BBC site