The University of Glamorgan’s plan to charge students up to £9,000 a year has been rejected by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW).
It joins the nine other Welsh Universities and four colleges which wanted to charge fees of more than £4,000 a year by autumn 2012.
To do this, the universities had to submit their plans plans to subsidise more low-income students to the HEFCW for approval. The quango told the universities and the colleges the plans were not ambitious enough.
The move has been welcomed the Welsh Government.
Education minister Leighton Andrews said: “I asked for HEFCW to be thorough and robust when scrutinising the fee plans submitted by our Higher Education and Further Education institutions. It is clear that they have been and I heartily endorse this.
“We’ve made bold decisions regarding the future of tuition fees in Wales which have been widely welcomed and supported.
“Higher education should be on the basis of the individual’s potential to benefit, and not on the basis of what they can afford to pay. On that basis I believe the new system we’re putting in place is the fairest and most equitable we’ve ever had.
“It is imperative that we stick up for our students and help them wherever we can.
“If institutions want to charge the higher fees, as clearly they do, they need to prove to HEFCW that they are meeting our requirements to widen access for all.
“Clearly they are not, and I therefore welcome and support HEFCW’s decision to send them back to the drawing board.”
Plaid Cymru also welcomed HEFCW’s decision. Education spokesman Simon Thomas said: “Universities should have to carefully justify their plans to charge the maximum possible level of tuition fees and it is clear that HEFCW has not been convinced by their plans.
“While students wishing to study in Wales will be helped by this decision, universities in England will still be free to charge the maximum rate of £9,000.
“We need to see a progressive attitude towards access to our universities and tuitions fees will only succeed in narrowing the opportunities for some people.
“If such large sums are charged there is a serious risk that a university education will be out of reach for many.”