The government must follow Lord Browne’s recommendation to remove the fee cap on higher education, the College of Law said today.

Such a move is necessary to increase competition between higher education establishments, and remove the ‘dividing line’ between public and private tertiary education, the College said.

Chief executive Nigel Savage said that higher education establishments that train students in professional subjects need ‘robust relationships’ with the commercial sector, and that greater diversity in higher education is ‘critically important’.

He said that higher education providers must deliver greater quality if they decide to charge students higher fees.

‘We must allow all institutions to compete for the students and allow quality to flourish,’ he said. ‘Over one third of global higher education is already provided by the private sector. Each institution must be allowed to excel in their respective strengths, and greater competition will stimulate innovation.

‘We are excited by Lord Browne’s proposals. We are ready to embrace the challenge set out in the Browne review and we look forward to the time when we can provide a wider range of educational opportunities to students. We await the government’s response with interest.’

The College of Law has a turnover of more than £75m and provides the Legal Practice Course (LPC), Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC). It also provides professional development courses for qualified lawyers, and runs a master’s degree in professional legal practice. It has more than 7,000 students on its books.