QMUL announces tuition fee and student support package

The Principal, Professor Simon Gaskell, said: “We started with no preconceived notion of what our fees should be. The methodology we have used is based entirely on the cost of delivering research-informed undergraduate courses at Queen Mary, across each of our three faculties, including the costs of continuing to enhance the quality of our physical and IT infrastructure.  Our calculations took full account of both the continuing funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the savings that we will be achieving through greater efficiency. We take great pride in the quality of the educational experience we provide to all our students, and we are confident that the package of fees and student support that we have developed will allow us to maintain that quality.”

A generous package of financial aid will ensure that students from less well off backgrounds should not be discouraged from applying to Queen Mary.

Professor Gaskell said: “At Queen Mary, we are determined to continue our strong tradition of widening access to university. No fees need be paid up front, of course, but we are keen to reduce the burden of overall debt for graduates by providing as comprehensive and extensive a level of support as possible. Thirty per cent of the income derived from fees above £6,000 will be spent on attracting and supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds. We also want to support students from middle income backgrounds, hence the introduction of a three-year bursary for those from families with an income up to £42,600.”

Highlights of the 2012-13 scholarships and bursaries package include:

• QMUL bursaries of £1,500 each year for students whose household income is less than £25,000 (and are in receipt of a full or partial higher education maintenance grant)
• QMUL bursaries of £1,200 each year for students with household income between £25,001 and £42,600 (and are in receipt of a full or partial higher education maintenance grant)
• As part of the National Scholarship Programme over 250 students from low income backgrounds will receive a £3,000 benefit in their first year, with £1,500 given as a fee waiver and £1,500 as a cash bursary and other support. In their second and third years they will receive the QMUL bursary
• Around 50% of undergraduates in total will receive a Queen Mary bursary.

The proposed new fee level was agreed by the Queen Mary Senior Executive (QMSE), and College Council has expressed its full support for the proposal. This will now be submitted to the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) for approval.

Queen Mary is seen as one of the rising stars in UK higher education, ranked 11^th nationally in the last Research Assessment Exercise, and has introduced significant increases in A Level entry grades in recent years. A key element of the undergraduate curriculum is that the latest developments in our research underpin teaching provision. For example, science undergraduates gain hands-on research laboratory experience in their final year, and students in the arts and humanities engage with a wide variety of research projects which enhance their programmes.

Queen Mary has invested more than £250m in new buildings and facilities in the past decade, including a £20m Arts building opening this month. The university has a popular 2,000-bed Student Village at the heart of its Mile End location, and it is the only central London institution of higher education with a fully integrated campus.

Professor Gaskell said: “As we move into a new funding regime, we at Queen Mary remain committed to offering the highest quality educational experience to the most able students, regardless of their economic or social background. We will continue to improve the quality of our teaching programmes in close consultation with our students.”

For updated information see our page on Fees and funding for 2012 entry