The call for an increase in student fees has been backed by the University of Southampton.

The Russell Group of leading universities – of which Southampton is a member – has called for an increase in the maximum annual tuition fee payable by students on graduation, and for universities to be given the freedom to “exercise discretion” in setting their own fee levels.

The group, in its submission to the Browne Review into student finance, argued that “an increase in graduate contributions is the only viable and fair way to secure the future of the UK’s world-class higher education system and the universities’ vital role in educating a workforce for the global economy.”

UK students attending Southampton University currently pay £3,145 a year in tuition fees, based on a “cap” of £3,000 plus inflation, but the Browne Review, due to report in the summer, is expected to recommend an overhaul that could lead to payments rocketing.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has warned that raising the cap could lead to students being saddled with “mortgage-style debts” of more than £40,000.

Professor Don Nutbeam, vicechancellor of Southampton University, said: “The Government has to decide whether and how to change the balance between public and private contributions to higher education.

"The Russell Group of leading research universities has taken a pragmatic view that the only viable option for supporting sufficient funding for a worldclass higher education system is to increase the contribution made through graduate tuition fees."