Fewer students now applying to university

Across the region the number of university applications for this September fell from by 3,612 from 48,529 last year to 44,917. Nationally applications are down by 15 per cent. Some universities in England hiked up their fees to £9,000 for the first time this year. Dudley North MP Ian Austin said he was "very worried" about the figures.

He said: "It's clear that increased tuition fees has lead to falling student numbers.

"The Government said that it wouldn't but today's evidence shows that this is simply not true.

Fewer people are applying and fewer people are going to university.

"Students, especially those from poorer backgrounds are reluctant to take on the extra burden of debt and when they're being asked to pay back up to £45,000 you can see why.

"We are the only country in the OECD that is not increasing spending on higher education and the implications for growth, jobs and most importantly, the prospects of our young people are very worrying."

Nationally, 30,880 fewer students applied this year. There has also been a sharp increase in withdrawal rates. This year 15 per cent of students submitted an application only to withdraw it at a later stage.

The figures obtained by the the Parliamentary Labour Party provide the first opportunity to monitor the impact of the Government's controversial decision to treble tuition fees to £9,000 per year.

Mr Austin said the figures prove that many students are reluctant to take on an extra burden of debt and are being forced into ending their studies prematurely.

Wolverhampton University is charging students annual fees of £7,500 as long as they continue into their second year of studies.