<P> Many commentators suggested that the 2012 rise in tuition fees in England would put poorer students off applying to university . However, the gap between rich and poor students has slightly narrowed (from 30.5% in 2010 to 29.8% in 2013) since the introduction of the higher fees . This may be because universities have used tuition fees to invest in bursaries and outreach schemes . In 2016, The Guardian noted that the number of disadvantaged students applying to university had increased by 72% from 2006 to 2015, a bigger rise than in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland . It wrote that most of the gap between richer and poorer students tends to open up between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 4 (i.e. at secondary school), rather than when applying for university, and so the money raised from tuition fees should be spent there instead . </P> <P> A study by Murphy, Scott - Clayton, and Wyness found that the introduction of tuition fees had "increased funding per head, rising enrolments, and a narrowing of the participation gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students ." </P> <P> Tuition fees are currently capped at £ 4,030 in Northern Ireland, with loans of the same size available from Student Finance NI . Loan repayments are made when income rises above £ 17,335 a year, with graduates paying back a percentage of their earnings above this threshold . </P> <P> Tuition is handled by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), which does not charge fees to what it defines as "Young Students". Young Students are defined as those under 25, without children, marriage, civil partnership or cohabiting partner, who have not been outside of full - time education for more than three years . Fees exist for those outside the young student definition, typically from £ 1,200 to £ 1,800 for undergraduate courses, dependent on year of application and type of qualification . Postgraduate fees can be up to £ 3,400 . </P>

When did tuition fees rise to £9000