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More than half of aspiring students in London think they must pay tuition fees in advance before they are allowed into university, alarming new research shows.

Confusion over fees could be putting thousands of teenagers off applying for a place at university, and misconceptions are highest among London students, experts said.

As thousands of A-level students prepare to collect their results this week, experts fear many will avoid higher education because they do not understand new rules on fees, which are paid back only when graduates start to earn at least £21,000 a year.

The new research by the University of Roehampton comes after it was revealed that 15,000 “missing” students have been put off applying to English universities after tuition fees were increased to £9,000 a year.

Paul O’Prey, vice-chancellor of Roehampton, said: “The finding is extremely worrying. Applications for university places have dropped this year almost certainly in part because of confusion about tuition fees.”

The Roehampton poll found that 51 per cent of London students thought they would have to pay their tuition fees before starting a course, compared with 44 per cent nationally.

One in five students thought their tuition fee debts would appear on their credit rating files. In reality, no reference to student loans is made.

More than two thirds of young Londoners said the increase in tuition fees was making the thought of university less attractive.

Professor O’Prey said: “We need to get the message across that it is likely that graduates with loans for tuition fees will be paying less year on year than graduates who started their university careers in previous years.

“University is a wonderfully enriching experience. It helps equip you for a successful and rewarding career and opens up all sorts of exciting opportunities and experiences.”

The first students to pay the higher fees will start university next month. The report by the Independent Commission on Fees, published last week, found there is a drop in applications to English universities, but the number of poorer students applying has not been disproportionately affected.

In Scotland and Wales, where students do not have to pay increased tuition fees, applications are up.

The research found that about one person in 20 who would have been expected to apply to university this year did not do so. Universities minister David Willetts said there was still a “very strong” demand for university, and the new fees system was fairer and “much more like an income tax”.

Serious flaws in maths shake-up

THE Government’s plans for shaking up the maths curriculum are too focused on rote learning and there is not enough emphasis on problem-solving and using it in real-life contexts, charity National Numeracy has warned.

Chairman Chris Humphries today wrote to Education Secretary Michael Gove claiming that the new curriculum will not allow children to develop a genuine understanding of maths.

But a Department for Education spokesman said: “The plans for primary school maths will put our curriculum on a par with the best in the world, including the one in Singapore. It is high time rigour was restored — children must know their times tables up to 12 off by heart, know how to multiply and divide fractions, and have good mental arithmetic.”