Bradford College bosses have defended a decision to more than double its higher education tuition fees to £6,700 from next year.

The college, which is one of the largest of its kind in the UK, will impose the new fees for students from 2012, a spokesman said today.

Its fees currently stand at £3,250.

David Smith, the College’s dean of higher education, said: “Bradford College’s higher education courses tend to have a vocational and professional emphasis and are often designed with the direct input of employers.

“The College typically provides a higher number of teaching hours than the higher education sector average. It also provides excellent levels of tutor access and support, class sizes that are below the sector average and attracts predominantly local students who are often the first in their family to study at higher education level.”

Mr Smith said the college was “more like a university” because of the number of its higher education courses.

“It is most important that lower fees are not associated with lower-quality degrees,” he said.

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