Lack of cash may see English universities go private

TOP English universities may consider "radical options" such as going private if funding is not increased, the tuition fees review heard yesterday.

Dr Wendy Piatt, the director-general of the Russell Group, which represents the top 20 universities in the UK, said the higher education sector south of the Border would face a "bleak future" if more money was not pumped into the system.

Universities in England could miss out on attracting top academics and the best postgraduate students, she said. They might also be tempted to recruit a greater number of international students to make up funding shortfalls.

Giving evidence to the independent review of student funding in England, led by former BP chief executive Lord Browne, Dr Piatt warned that the quality of university education was already "perilously close" to being undermined.

In its written submissions to the review, published earlier this week, the Russell Group – which also represents the Glasgow and Edinburgh universities – called for the tuition fee cap to be lifted incrementally, with institutions able to charge varying amounts for its courses.

However, the Scottish institutions said the situation north of the Border was different and they would explore funding options suitable for Scotland. The introduction of tuition fees has been widely accepted as unlikely to happen in Scotland given the lack of political support for it.

The Russell Group said the sector in England was facing a deficit that could top 1.1 billion by 2012-13, and more investment was needed. Asked by the panel if Russell Group institutions would look at becoming private, Dr Piatt said they might consider radical options.

Tuition fees in England are currently 3,225 a year. Lord Browne's review is due to report back in the autumn.