Universities offer £1,000 perk and two-year degrees in ‘scramble’ for students

Universities are offering students lower tuition fee options and other incentives in the face of financial struggles and falling enrolment numbers across the sector.

The University of Buckingham is offering students on selected two-year accelerated bachelor’s degrees tuition fees of just £7,830 a year – which means graduating with £26,000 less debt than a standard three-year degree.

It comes as some under-pressure universities are looking for ways to attract more students, according to Iain Mansfield, the head of education at the Policy Exchange think-tank. “There’s a scramble for students.”

University income streams have been hit by tighter visa rules affectng the number of international students and the tuition fee cap for domestic students.

Student numbers fell slightly for a second year in a row, driven by a 10 per cent drop in international students, according to 2024/25 data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Last month, the Office for Students warned that more than a third of institutions reported a deficit for 2024/25, which is forecast to rise to four in 10 for 2025/26.

It comes amid growing calls to reconsider the student loans system, which leaves current students facing up to 40 years of repayments, with most graduates seeing debt continue to grow as monthly deductions fail to cover monthly interest.

In response to growing student debt, the University of Buckingham is giving students on selected courses nearly 40 per cent off a standard degree in “celebration” of its 50th year.

Other universities currently offering accelerated courses include London Metropolitan University, the University of Kent, Royal Holloway, the University of London, Farnborough College of Technology, Bournemouth University and Anglia Ruskin University.

University Academy 92, founded in 2019 by footballer Gary Neville and specialising in sports and management courses, has said enrolment is increasing for its two-year study options.

Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, which represents 142 institutions, said: “Universities are responding to employers and learners by increasingly offering innovative, flexible courses that open up opportunity for more people to access good work and earn more.”

The University of Northampton is offering international scholarships and 30 per cent off certain accommodation options. Its other perks include free laptops for eligible home students, gym discounts and funded field trips.

The University of East London is offering home students who apply through clearing this summer a package worth £1,000, which it says can go towards travel and the weekly shop.

Two-year courses for £7,830 a year

To mark 50 years since its founding and its accelerated degree model, the University of Buckingham is reducing tuition fees on applicable two-year courses to only £7,830 per year.

A traditional three-year degree costs £28,605 in tuition fees, plus £41,112 in living costs, based on the National Student Money Survey 2025, which estimated cost of living at £13,704 per year. This means students leave with debt of £69,717.

Buckingham’s promotion on its two-year courses – for Business Management and Leadership, Business Entrepreneurship, Business Management and Marketing and English Literature with Creative Writing – costs £15,660, plus two years of living costs at £27,408, meaning students leave with £43,068 of debt.

David Cole, the interim Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, said: “We created those two-year courses 50 years ago, and they’ve been running successfully for that period of time. So we’re very much celebrating 50 years of innovation, but what makes it very relevant at the moment is a lot of the public debate around the value of degrees.”

He insisted the courses have been chosen due to “strong demand in the sector” and not because those are the ones that need spaces filling. And attracting students at a time when the university sector is struggling financially is a “side benefit”.

Cole said Buckingham is “in a relatively good position relative to the sector”, but added: “The sector is in a lot of challenges, and every institution needs to be continually reviewing what it’s doing, the provision, and how to do that most effectively – and we will continue to do that.”

The university’s 2025 financial report shows its income grew by 8 per cent, student numbers have increased and it returned a surplus of nearly £1m.

But it underwent a voluntary redundancy scheme in early 2025, with fewer than 10 redundancies across the Faculty of Business and Humanities, the medicine faculty and the central services department.

Buckingham is one of six UK universities that are privately owned, meaning it relies on tuition fees rather than state subsidies.

Are accelerated courses the future?

Mansfield said more universities could give students the option to do two-year accelerated bachelor’s degrees, which could save them thousands in student loans – if there is enough demand.

For many students, he said it is not feasible to do an accelerated course because they rely on working both during the term and during summer holidays in order to pay for their living costs, which are not fully covered by maintenance loans.

Accelerated courses leave less time for part-time work because the workload is more intensive.

Mansfield said: “I would definitely encourage young people to look more at it. It means you get into the workplace quicker and you have less debt, so I think it is a good option for those who want to do it. If you are able to afford not to work through the summer holidays, if you have family help or you can make the maintenance loan go far enough, then I think it can be a very positive option.”

Rose Stephenson, policy director at the Higher Education Policy Institute think-tank, said there is “significant financial instability in the sector” and universities are looking at how they can provide for different types of students.

She said two-year bachelor’s degrees could appeal to those already in work who are looking for a fast pace or students who are “concerned about student loan debt” and want to lower their costs.

“I don’t think it’s a panacea,” she said. “I don’t think it would work for everybody.”

“It sounds like a really good deal on paper, and you think students would be taking it up in droves, and again, we haven’t seen a big move in that direction.

“It is a genuine offer for students that they can get a degree that is cheaper, they can get a degree more quickly, which gets them into the workforce faster,” she added.