Student leaders have threatened to take action after bosses at the University of Bradford revealed it will charge the maximum possible tuition fees from 2012.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Cleary yesterday announced fees would rise to £9,000 per year for new students.

Imad Faghmous, spokesman for The University of Bradford Students’ Union, said its members would be “alarmed” that the university was raising its tuition fees to the maximum amount allowed by the Government.

He said in a statement: “The Students’ Union understands this has come about due to a regressive Tory-led policy, supported by the Liberal Democrats, which is creating one of the worst educational climates in this country.

“The Students’ Union is still firmly opposed to any charge on education and firmly stands on a free education policy.”

The fee level has been agreed by the University Council and will now be approved by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA). The university said it had taken the decision with “great reluctance” and blamed cuts in funding from central Government.

The university’s chairman of Council, Paul Jagger, said: “This was set against the context of the devastating cuts to the sector and was reached after considerable discussion and consultation within the university.”

Prof Cleary said: “The University of Bradford has set its fees at £9,000 per year to ensure that we can continue to build a strong, sustainable university, with funds to invest in our high-quality learning and teaching environment, and a major focus on employability and delivering high levels of student satisfaction.”

Bradford is among 58 universities nationally which have declared fee levels for 2012. Two thirds want to charge the £9,000 fee for all courses.

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