We're wrapping up our live coverage of today's announcements about what students in England will pay for a year of university tuition. Here are the highlights:

• Tuition feeswill rise to £9,535 next year, the first time that figure has increased in eight years
• Maintenance loans will also rise by 3.1%, providing students with up to £414 extra per year. Both rises are linked to inflation
• Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says the government will set out a long-term plan for universities in the coming months, to bring major reform to the sector
• A lower fee limit of £5,760 will also be introduced for 2025/26 for foundation years in classroom-based subjects such as business, social science and humanities

In response, the Conservatives' new shadow education secretary Laura Trott said students will "suffer" from increased tuition fees when they "can least afford it".

The National Union of Students accused ministers of getting undergraduates to foot the bill "to keep the lights on" but the group representing UK universities welcomed both announcements on fees and loans.

There's more to read on this in our news story and we've also set out all you need to know about how much going to university costs.

Thanks for joining us. This page was written by Ben Hatton, Alex Boyd and Asya Robins. The editors were Aoife Walsh and Rob Corp.

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Universities will see today's announcements as a cash injection that will offer a bit of short-term relief from the pressures they face.

It may help them out with the rise in National Insurance announced in last week's Budget, which they said would further squeeze their finances.

But what they want, really, is longer-term reform.

The Russell Group, which represents 24 universities, has talked today about "ensuring a secure future for our sector", for example.

Bridget Phillipson pledged to bring about "deeper change" when she addressed MPs earlier.

"In the months ahead, we will publish proposals, because in universities - as across our public services - investment can only come with the promise of major reform," she said.

Universities - which have seen the real-terms value of tuition fees fall year after year - will be pinning their hopes on that future reform.

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Here's what today's announcement does and doesn't mean for students from England or who are studying in England - and what's not yet clear.

It does mean that students starting courses in September will graduate with more debt - assuming tuition fees and maintenance loans stay the same or rise in subsequent years.

It doesn't mean that all current students will see their fees rise, as universities can have contracts that protect their students from fee hikes part-way through a course.

It doesn't affect students' repayment instalments once they graduate - anyone who started university in or after 2023 will still repay 9% of what they earn over £25,000 from the April after they graduate, and any unpaid debt will still be written off after 40 years.

It does mean students will be able to borrow more for their living costs, for things like rent and food, in the form of maintenance loans that are paid into their bank accounts while they're studying. Maintenance loans haven't kept up with inflation in recent years.

It's not yet clear how exactly it will impact the amount of debt new students will graduate with - or how much the average graduate will repay over their lifetime. That's because this is a one-year plan - and we don't yet know what tuition fees will look like the following year or the year after that.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has criticised the increase in university tuition fees in England, saying: "Students are being asked for an extra £5 per week to keep the lights on in lecture theatres."

NUS vice-president Higher Education, Alex Stanley, says students are being asked to foot the bill to "literally keep the lights and heating on" in their university buildings and prevent their courses from closing down.

"Higher education is in crisis right now," she says, adding that universities "cannot continue to be funded by an ever-increasing burden of debt on students".

Stanley says an urgent review and reform in the way higher education and students are funded is needed, adding that "the last 14 years of intense marketisation have systematically run down the UK's universities."

The union welcomed the increase in maintenance loans announced by the education secretary. However, it also pointed out that, as the maintenance loans are means-tested, without the introduction of grants "this will contribute to an even higher burden of debt for the poorest students."

Harrison Jones
BBC News

Earlier this year, the BBC revealed that almost 1.8 million people were in at least £50,000 of UK student debt.

The data, published in July, showed that more than 61,000 loan holders had balances of over £100,000, while another 50 each owed upwards of £200,000.

Student organisations criticised the figures, but the Student Loan Company (SLC) pointed out at the time average balances were a little under £50,000.

The data from the SLC came after an earlier BBC story revealed the highest student debt known to the organisation was more than £230,000 - a figure which it revised up to £252,000 around three months later.

Today's announcement affects those studying for degrees at English universities.

In Scotland, Scottish students do not have to pay any fees. Free tuition fees were brought in by the SNP government in 2008, with universities allocated funding to cover the free tuition.

Students from the rest of the UK pay annual fees of up to £9,250, while fees for foreign applicants can rise even higher.

In 2023 free tuition support was extended to students living in Scotland who have been in the UK for three years and have been granted leave to remain.

The policy was championed by former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her predecessor the late Alex Salmond.

Salmond had his famous quote that "the rocks will melt with the sun before I allow tuition fees to be imposed on Scotland's students" inscribed on a stone as a monument when he stepped down from office.

Peter Gillibrand
BBC Newsbeat reporter

News about the tuition fee increase is spreading on campus in Coventry.

Masters student Anne-Marie Eyen, 22, says “it’s not looking very good for students” and that fees are already “pretty high”.

“Everyone’s already struggling as it is,” she says, and is worried with the rising cost of living: “People won’t be able to do other things."

But it’s her future that could be affected too.

“I’m worried when I reach the job market that a lot of my salary will go to student loans so that’s a bit concerning,” she says.

Anne-Marie appreciates that universities may need money and she just hopes what she’s investing now will pay off in the end.

“In the long-term hopefully it will pay off because I’ll have a higher-earning job - but that’s all I can hope for.”

Back in the Commons and former Labour leader now independent MP Jeremy Corbyn – who pledged to scrap tuition fees in 2017 and 2019 - says many students are put off going to university because of the level of fees.

"Isn't this going to drive more people away from university education rather than to it," he asks.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says there is more universities can do to increase their income.

But she says the reality is that it was necessary to bring forward this increase "in order to stabilise the sector" - saying it was a "difficult" but "necessary" decision.

We've got some reaction to today's announcements from Professor Malcolm Press, vice president of Universities UK and vice chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University.

He tells the BBC's education editor Branwen Jeffreys he welcomes both increased tuition fees and higher maintenance loans, and is looking forward to working with the government "about what more we can do in the future".

In a message to sixth formers and those considering going to university, he says tuition fees should not prey on their minds at the moment and university remains "free at the point of entry".

"The university fee will be paid back dependent on earnings through the tax system," Prof Press adds. "Think about the value that a university degree creates, graduates in their 30s are earning 35-40% more than those who don’t go to university and for the most disadvantaged students the uplift is a threefold increase.

"The most important thing to worry about to my mind is maintenance and the day-to-day cost of living, and that’s why I welcome so much the news that the government’s announced today."

Future funding looks likely to be tied to reformpublished at 17:17 Greenwich Mean Time 4 November

17:17 GMT 4 November

Hannah Miller
Political correspondent

Aside from the rise in tuition fees, Bridget Phillipson suggests today is “the start of deeper change” in relation to universities policy.

She says her department is working on proposals for higher education reform, which will be published in the coming months.

In particular, she emphasises the role of universities in expanding access for disadvantaged students and improving outcomes for those from poorer backgrounds.

She also says they must respond to technological change, improve teaching, and work harder to embed themselves in local communities.

While light on detail, this is the Labour government starting to set out its higher education priorities - and implying that future funding will be tied to reform.

Liberal Democrat universities spokesman Ian Sollom says the first priority is to fully reform and fix the damage made by previous changes and create a fair system.

He urges the government not to put up fees "without those much wider reforms" and questions whether they have considered doing so without raising fees.

He also says an important first step is to recognise the importance of international students.

Phillipson says the Lib Dems have "a bit of form" on this issue – referring to a broken promise not to raise tuition fees in the coalition years between 2010 and 2015.

She says she has been clear that international students play a crucial role in communities and the economy, and says the government will take forward a programme of reform for the sector.

Chair of the Commons Education Select Committee Helen Hayes asks what steps Phillipson will take to ensure this measure will not deter students from disadvantaged backgrounds from applying to universities.

Phillipson responds by saying she understands the importance of communicating that universities are for all young people who have demonstrated they have the necessary qualifications and talent.

She says this was not an easy decision to make, but adds the government is securing the "long-term financial security" of the sector.

She adds she is also clear in her message that the sector must do more to widen access and participation.

Bridget Phillipson responds to her Conservative shadow Laura Trott by saying that raising fees is not a decision she takes any pleasure in, before reiterating that the government will set out further plans in the months to come.

She also claims the Conservatives shied away from making these decisions while it was in power.

An impact assessment will also be published alongside the legislation, Phillipson adds.

Responding for the Conservatives, new shadow education secretary Laura Trott says the Budget "declared war" on businesses, private sector workers and farmers, and she says the government now wants to add students to that list.

She says students will "suffer" from the first inflationary increase in many years at a time when students "can least afford it", saying there was no sign of it in the Labour manifesto.

Trott says the education secretary said in July that she had no plans to increase tuition fees, calling it a "hike in the effective tax that graduates have to pay".

She asks Phillipson a series of questions about her announcement - why it was not announced in the Budget, whether the Office for Budget Responsibility has been consulted, if fees will rise every year or if this is a one-off, and what the impact will be on the public finances?

Phillipson goes on to talk about the responsibilities of universities for the country and local communities.

She says the UK is home to many world-class universities but it's time "all students" feel the benefit.

She adds that universities must do more to drive the growth the country needs.

Phillipson says that universities are important for local economies and local communities, and they must embed themselves in local communities.

Phillipson says Labour will publish its proposals for universities in the coming months, adding that investment can only come with major reform.

She adds that universities must do more to "spread opportunity" to disadvantaged students, including expanding access and improving outcomes.

"I will not tolerate this shameful divide any longer", Phillipson says, referring to the gap between disadvantaged students and their peers progressing to university.

Phillipson says a lower fee limit of £5,760 will be introduced for 2025/26 for foundation years in classroom-based subjects such as business, social science and humanities.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says there are "severe financial challenges" in higher education.

"With tuition fees frozen universities have suffered real terms-decline in income," she says.

She says the previous administration ducked these challenges, but her government has not hesitated to take them on.

Maintenance loans for university students in England will also rise by around 3.1% in England next year, which the government says will provide students with up to £414 extra per year.

The increase is linked to an RPIX forecast, an inflation measure which includes everything in the Retail Prices Index but excludes mortgage interest payments, the government says.

University tuition fees in England will rise for the first time in eight years, Phillipson announces, with the annual maximum fee going up by £285 to £9,535 next year.

That's an increase of around 3.1%, which the government says is linked to inflation.