University fees might become as high as £7,000 if a new report by the Vice-Chancellors leading body is to be believed.

Universities UK state in their report Changing Landscapes: future scenarios for variable tuition fees that students were not put off by the initial introduction of tuition fees and would not be deterred by this raise.

However, a survey by the BBC indicated that some institutions believed they should be able to ask for as much as £20,000 per year.

“Poorer students would be priced out of the more ‘prestigious’ institutions, and this must be avoided at all cost,” warned NUS President Wes Streeting. The NUS cautioned against the move to even £7,000, as it could see student debt skyrocket as high as £32,000, a move he branded “extremely arrogant” in light of the recession.

But Professor Rick Trainor, President of Universities UK, defended the report. “UK higher education requires further injections of resource, from whatever source, particularly for teaching and learning,” adding that it was “a time of deep economic uncertainty for all of us”.

The issue of fees is set to remain a troubling one for the Government, as their initial introduction five years ago saw a large backbench rebellion.