Birmingham universities could lose £100m in funding

Universities in Birmingham could lose £100 million in funding under Government spending cuts, it has emerged.

Research by House of Commons officials suggested the University of Birmingham, one of Britain’s most prestigious colleges with a world-wide reputation, is set to lose £44 million alone.

The cash will be replaced by increased tuition fees paid by students, under Government plans to let universities charge up to £9,000 a term.

Figures were published after Business Minister David Willets announced that universities would be allowed to increase fees dramatically from the current limit of £3,290 a year.

But higher fees have been welcomed by the University of Birmingham - which said it needed the money to make up for the cut in Government funding.

Professor David Eastwood, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, said: “Following the significant cut to universities’ public funding, a cap of £9,000 is the minimum required for leading universities to compete in the global higher education market.”

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