Students' tuition fees are by far the largest source of income for the university, making up over 81% of Leeds Trinity University's total income.
The rest of the income comes from grants from funding councils, research and other income sources such as accommodation, the bar and sports centre.
Tuition fees
Why have tuition fees increased when universities have previously managed with lower tuition fees?
Before 2012, the majority of UK universities' funding for teaching came in the form of an annual grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
Following changes to the funding regime in 2012 the cost for teaching transferred from the government to students in the form of increased tuition fees.
Does the University make a surplus?
In 2016-17, Leeds Trinity made a surplus of £0.6m.
This enables the university to generate cash reserves which are reinvested to further improve the university, paying for new and refurbished buildings, new equipment and IT, as well as allowing investment in academic staff and facilities.
The university is a charity, so it has no shareholders or owners that it has to pay money to.
That means all surplus income is re-invested into Leeds Trinity.
Why do we need to generate a surplus?
What do I get for my tuition fees?
Tuition fees are spent in the way that we believe will best enable the delivery of world-class education and support the future prospects of our students.
This includes developing and improving the facilities that support students, such as the Library and student welfare services.
Tuition fees also contribute towards the cost of sports facilities, Students' Union activities, food and drink on campus, and student transport where these costs are not fully covered by direct charges or other sources of income.
Fees also contribute towards the cost of major investments in the University which benefit students.
Recent examples include our newest halls of residence, Fountains Court, the extension of the Andrew Kean Learning Centre and ongoing refurbishments of academic and other facilities.
What does the University spend my tuition fees on?
The University uses its income to provide the best student experience that it can.
This includes paying for the highest quality academic staff, as well as all the academic and student services that students use such as the library, teaching support, sports and media facilities, bursaries and placements, and the buildings that all these services are housed in.
All this activity needs high-quality facilities, so some of the income is spent on maintaining, heating and cleaning the buildings.
Income is also used to provide University administration such as management, human resources, finance, marketing and planning, all of which provide an efficient support service to academic, research and other University activities.
Why should I pay for facilities I don't use?
Students have different needs at different points of their time at university.
At Leeds Trinity, we aim to give support and opportunities to all our students to enable them to access what they need to succeed, whether that is an interest in sport or study skills support.
A lot of my tuition fees are spent on future campus developments – does this mean I'm paying for facilities that will only be open after I've finished my studies?
No, in the last two years the University has spent over £18m on buildings and equipment which benefit current students.
To do this, the University has borrowed money, so some of the income pays for the interest on the loans and to repay the amount that has been borrowed.