A REVIEW of university tuition fees must address a dramatic drop in part-time and mature learners taking up degree courses.

That is the message from Oxford Brookes University after the Prime Minister announced a review of the university fee system, which has been branded ‘broken’ and ‘crippling’ by two Oxford MPs.

This week Theresa May revealed there would be a year-long probe of England’s tuition fees, after admitting they are among the most expensive in the world.

In a statement sent to the Oxford Mail, Oxford Brookes said: “The review set out by the Government is an opportunity to re-examine the funding model and make improvements, to help ensure higher education is available to all.

“This should include further support for part-time and mature students who are now less likely to study for a degree.”

Figures published last year showed part-time student numbers in England had plummeted by 56 per cent between 2010 and 2015.

This was largely blamed on a rise in the cost of part-time fees to £6,750 per year.

Most mature and part-time students can access the same loans as other students for tuition, but not if they already have a degree.

Over-60s and part-time students also do not get maintenance loans (which help with living costs).

The cap on tuition fees for full-time learners is at £9,250 annually, having trebled in 2012 from the previous cap of £3,000.

A Brookes spokesman defended the value of university degrees, stating 93 per cent of its students secure work or further study within six months of graduating.

He said they ‘earn substantially more than non-graduates’.

The spokesman added: “Brookes leads a range of initiatives to encourage students from all backgrounds to attend university.

“We also provide a range of financial support schemes.”

This includes a a £1,000 grant to students in Oxfordshire who have helped their community or have overcome personal difficulties.

This week Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran branded the tuition fee system ‘broken’ and said she welcomed the review.

She said she nearly left the Liberal Democrats in 2010 when the party controversially broke its pre-election pledge to abolish fees, instead voting to triple them.

Speaking on Talk Radio, she said she was ‘absolutely devastated’ but felt it now seemed ‘financially unsustainable’ to scrap fees.

Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds criticised the tuition fee review, calling for ‘action not talk’.

She pointed to ‘crippling levels of debt and reduced intakes for part-time and mature students’.

Oxford University did not respond to a request for comment.