Almost all universities submit access agreements to Offa

Universities that want to charge over the lower limit in 2012 had to submit a draft access agreement to Offa by midnight last night, setting out the measures they would take to ensure disadvantaged students are able to access their courses.

In a statement released today, Offa says that of the 123 English higher education institutions that offer full-time undergraduate courses, 122 had submitted draft agreements by the deadline. The one remaining institution – which Offa says has a very high proportion of part-time courses – has been given an extension.

In addition, 17 further education institutions have submitted draft access agreements.

However, not all of the universities and colleges that have submitted access plans to Offa have publicly declared the fee levels they propose to charge when the cap is raised.

Some are not expected to do so until the summer.

Of the 76 institutions that have so far announced their fees, 47 plan to charge a flat rate of £9,000. Many of the rest have opted for variable fees, with some of their courses attracting the maximum amount.

john.gill@tsleducation.com