AQW 48768/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 16/06/2026
Answered On Date: 23/06/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail (i) any assessment she has made on whether an inflationary adjustment to tuition fees is distinct from a real-terms increase in tuition fees; (ii) why the Review of Higher Education Funding did not recommend annual inflationary uprating of the tuition fee cap; (iii) any assessment her Department has made of the financial impact on Northern Ireland’s universities of tuition fees, failing to keep pace with inflation; (iv) whether universities have raised any issues regarding the resulting funding gap; and (v) how those concerns were reflected in the Review’s recommendations.

Answer:

The first stage of a Higher Education Funding Review, an independent Financial Needs Assessment of the local Higher Education Institutions, has been completed. A summary of the report was published on the Departmental website on 18 March 2026.

The Financial Needs Assessment was commissioned as the first phase of the wider Review of Higher Education Funding.

The tuition fee cap has been subject annual uplifts since the introduction of higher tuition fees in academic year 2006/07.

In recognition of the financial pressures faced by the higher education sector both here and across these islands, my Department made a number of bids as part of the multi-year Spending Review budget exercise.

Despite the challenging budgetary position in the last financial year, I sought to prioritise funding for skills and specifically for our Higher and Further Education institutions, including successfully advocating for in-year funding.

I continue to seek additional resources for my Department, so that we can increase funding for Higher Education.