Abolish tuition fees

Policy baseline

Green policy supports free higher education and maintenance support. Headline cost depends on loan-book treatment and replacement university funding.

• Targets students and graduates.
• High-income graduates may gain significantly.
• Fiscal accounting is complex.

Core trade-offs

The direct beneficiaries are students, graduates and universities. The costs fall mainly on taxpayers and other education budgets. The main economic question is benefits are not tightly targeted.

• Students, graduates and universities gain most directly.
• Costs fall mainly on taxpayers and other education budgets.
• Key risk: benefits are not tightly targeted.

Fiscal impact by 2028-29

+GBP 8.0bn to +GBP 25.0bn. Central estimate: +GBP 12.0bn.

• Positive numbers mean net fiscal cost; negative numbers mean Exchequer savings.
• Main channel is the scored tax, spending or delivery change.
• Offsets depend on tax receipts, behaviour and pass-through.
• Range reflects uncertain implementation and economic response.
• This is not an official costing.

Economic impact by 2028-29

• Jobs: Education hiring rises; shortages and retention problems may cap delivery.
• Wages: Teachers, childcare staff or students gain; taxpayers fund the cost.
• Prices: Childcare prices may fall if supply expands; wage pressure can offset subsidies.
• GDP / productivity: Long-run gains possible; short-run GDP effects depend on staffing and quality.

Assessment

This is a real trade-off, not a free gain. Students, graduates and universities benefit, while taxpayers and other education budgets bear most costs. Overall output depends on behaviour, capacity and pass-through.

Confidence: Medium-low. Higher on the policy target and fiscal channel; lower on behaviour, pass-through and economy-wide effects.

Main risks

• Staffing shortage: Recruitment and retention can limit delivery.
• Quality variation: Extra places or grants do not guarantee high-quality provision.
• Long payback: Economic returns take years and are hard to score fiscally.

Safeguards

• Target shortages and disadvantaged pupils.
• Audit quality and staff retention.
• Evaluate outcomes before expansion.

Academic evidence

UK government evidence

Sources

• PolicyLens illustrative scenario methodology for abolish tuition fees Internal - PolicyLens, 2026
• Does Aid Matter? Measuring the Effect of Student Aid Academic article - Dynarski, American Economic Review, 2003
• Green Party manifesto: a reaction Think tank analysis - Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2024
• Green Party manifesto summary Manifesto summary - Local Government Association, 2024
• The End of Free College in England Academic article - Murphy, Scott-Clayton and Wyness, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2019
• Student loans in England statistics Official statistics - Department for Education, 2025
• Spending Review 2025 UK government spending review - HM Treasury, 2025
• Manifesto for a Fairer, Greener Country Party policy source - Green Party of England and Wales, 2024

Other Green policies

• Raise the minimum wage to £15
• Index public-sector pay to inflation
• Add public-pay restoration premiums
• Raise low-paid public-sector wages
• Cap organisation pay ratios at 10:1
• Protect pay in transition schemes
• Create a single worker status
• Equal terms for outsourced workers