Coventry University is pleased that the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) has agreed its access and widening participation proposals for 2012. As a result Coventry is one the universities which will qualify for the 20,000 places that the Government is reallocating for institutions charging an average of £7,500 or less in 2012.

Coventry qualifies because it announced in March a range of tuition fees between £4,600 and £9,000 per annum for 2012. The University is determined to continue to encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds, regardless of income, and to set a fair fee for all.

Coventry has taken the opportunity to review its courses and its costs. This analysis shows that classroom-based and laboratory-based courses are very different and the variable fees reflect this difference. 

Coventry has also achieved savings of some 10% per annum in back office non-pay costs in 2010-11 and plan for a further 10% in 2011-12, recognising that all universities do need to become more efficient. 

As a result, the University believes that it can offer unbeatable value for money for all its courses. The University provides a competitively priced, excellent academic experience, with opportunities for an international experience and a strong commitment to the employability of its graduates.

The range of fees, and agreed student numbers, also includes the part-time students that have been successfully attracted through the Government's Employee Engagement Project, which is run through the University's training subsidiary, ACUA. These students are part-funded by their employers and are taught on their employer premises. This very successful initiative is just one part of the University's work with business, which has enabled Coventry to have more engagement with SMEs than any other university in England.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Madeleine Atkins, said:

'We believe that the variable fees that we will charge in 2012 provide unbeatable value for money for our prospective students. Not only are our fees clear and understandable, with no hidden extras, but they allow students to enjoy excellent teaching and a quality academic experience. The students are offered overseas study or work experience, guaranteed contact time and  real employment prospects, with 94% of last year's graduates going into employment, further advanced study or professional training.'

For more information about Coventry University, please visit their website here: www.coventry.ac.uk