The collective university establishment breathed one long sign of relief today, the relief that comes from the knowledge that the impact of tuition fees has not meant doom

and gloom. Students aren’t saying no to debt in favour of plumbing courses or careers with Tesco, in fact they still want those degrees.

No doubt the Higher Education minister Bill Rammell is also breathing easier, let us never forget that his government brought tuition fees in after carefully avoiding mentioning the issue in any manifesto.

What is interesting is much of the buoyant recruitment lies in EU and foreign students, especially Cyprus and Polish students, who are flocking over here. This does put a different complexion on the headline figures.

And … healthy recruitment also means the green light for fees to rise, something the universities themselves have been pushing for (one Vice Chancellor interviewed today wanted to see £7,000 per year). Only a steep decline in numbers is going to cut the wind out of those sails, and the first real test has been past.

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