TUITION fees will increase by £250 for Reading undergraduates if government proposals to raise caps are approved later this year.

The University of Reading announced today that students studying for undergraduate degrees will have to pay £9,250 rather than £9,000 a year from September 2017.

Although the increase is subject to parliament passing the proposal in the autumn this is expected to be a formality.

The move sees Reading join universities such as Manchester and Durham which have decided to hike tuition costs in an attempt to battle the devaluing cost of inflation.

A spokesperson from the University of Reading said: “The interest rate at the moment has put the value of the £9,000 tuition fees down to about £8,000.

"If we still want to invest in the same amount in teaching, facilities and research then we need to plug the funding gap.

“We expect the vast majority of universities will do the same thing.”

Certain universities have been permitted to raise their fees as reward for meeting their expectations in the new 'teaching excellence framework' initiative, which came into action as a means of measuring progress last year.

The university was quick to reassure students who had deferred places until September 2017 that they would pay the current £9,000 a year.