THE University of Bolton’s decision to stagger the cost of tuition fees depending on courses has been described as a “smart move” by its president of the students’ union.

Students at the university will pay up to £8,400, but almost 70 per cent will pay £7,200 or less.

And a three-band fee structure will be introduced, with the cost reflecting resources needed for each course.

Students union president, Ashley Howell, said: “My personal view is it is a very smart move by the university and even though I am extremely against the rise in tuition fees I also realise for the university to survive the severe and ridiculous cuts the government are imposing it needs to charge more and with the varied fees it means you pay more dependant on how resource-intensive your course is.

“I think as long as the university continues to give student support then they can make it viable to charge as much as they have set out.”

Laboratory or specialist courses, taught in dedicated facilities, will cost £8,400 a year, while studio-based or resource intensive courses using specialist equipment such as computer games, will cost £7,200.

Classroom courses, such as English, will cost £6,300 per year.

Bosses say those who opt for courses in the top band will be likely to be eligible for fee waivers of up to £1,200 per year from the Government’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) funding.