Draft Higher Education (Fee Limits and Fee Limit Condition) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Parliament voted on 18 March 2026 to approve the Draft Higher Education (Fee Limits and Fee Limit Condition) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, passing the measure by 277 votes to 99. The regulations raise the annual tuition fee cap for undergraduate students at fee-capped providers in England from £9,250 to approximately £9,535 for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years, an increase of around 2.7% and 2.68% respectively in those two years. The vote means universities in England can charge higher fees for the first time since the cap was last adjusted, which supporters argue is necessary to prevent further institutional financial instability in the sector. The increase will add to the debt carried by students taking out loans to cover their fees, and the change sits alongside a separate freeze on the repayment threshold, which determines at what earnings level graduates begin repaying their loans. Together, these measures affect the total cost faced by graduates over the life of their repayment. Labour MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour, with 248 Labour and 28 Labour and Co-operative members supporting the regulations and only 19 voting against across both groups. The Liberal Democrats voted solidly against, all 55 of their voting members opposing the measure, as did Reform UK's six voting members, the Democratic Unionist Party's five, the three Green MPs, and a majority of voting independents. The Conservatives were largely absent: only two voted, both against, while 114 had no vote recorded. The vote took place on the same day as a separate opposition day motion on student loans, which the government defeated by 266 to 88.