Russell Group hits back at government fee claims

Government claims that some Russell Group universities are not worth the £9,000 (US$13,000) tuition fees are based on "outdated assertions" and no evidence, the group's head has said after the fears were revealed in a leaked document, writes Ben Riley-Smith for The Telegraph.

Ministers are under growing pressure to name the institutions they have concerns about after a private memo was photographed in the hand of an official leaving Number 10 and published in The Telegraph. “Higher education across the spectrum – from some in the Russell group… through FE [further education] colleges – do not offer the quality and intensity of teaching we expect for 9k,” it read.

Dr Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group which represents 24 universities widely seen as the best in Britain, suggested the government claims were based on old stereotypes of life on campus.
Full report on The Telegraph site