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Students demonstrated against fees in Westminster on Wednesday
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Vice-chancellors are to warn of the devastating impact on universities if politicians fail to agree on government plans to raise tuition fees.
Universities UK (UUK) head Professor Steve Smith says without higher fees the number of student places would have to be cut, as teaching grants are axed.
At a debate later, Prof Smith will also call for the government to say which subjects it plans to subsidise.
The government said it was aiming for a vote on the issue before Christmas.
It wants to allow universities in England to raise tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 a year from the current £3,290. Universities in Wales and Northern Ireland are likely to follow.
But graduates would not start repaying the loans covering these fees until they earn £21,000 a year.
Before the general election the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats disagreed on raising tuition fees, with Lib Dems promising to phase them out.
Party leader Nick Clegg has since said he had to change his mind when he discovered the true state of the public finances.
But many of his party still oppose the change in direction and have said they will vote against a fees rise. A handful of Conservatives are thought to be planning to oppose the plans too.
Any rise in fees must be supported by a vote in both the Lords and the Commons.
Prof Smith's comments come a day after students and pupils protested against fees and university budget cuts in central London and in university towns and cities around England and Scotland.
At a debate on higher education funding in central London on Thursday, he will say: "The economic environment has led to an unpalatable choice between increasing the graduate contribution or cutting student numbers.
"Cutting student numbers would do more harm to social mobility than an increased graduate contribution with a progressive repayment mechanism, and more maintenance support for students from low-income backgrounds."
But he will also warn the government that its support for the government's proposals is only conditional "upon a long-term commitment to public investment in higher education".
Universities Minister David Willetts is planning to phase out teaching grants from most arts and humanities subjects. He is expected to speak at Thursday's debate.
Prof Smith will say: "We understand the concerns raised since the publication of Lord Browne's review and the spending review announcement.
"UUK has consistently opposed disproportionate cuts to the higher education budget."
The government has said it will publish a higher education White Paper this winter, but the Business, Innovation and Skills department business plan suggests it may not be published until March 2011.
Prof Smith will say this is too late for universities which need to publish their prospectuses in the spring.
"We need to know what the government is planning for student numbers as soon as possible. Many students were unable to get a place at university this summer and we obviously want to avoid this happening again."
He added that urgent clarification was needed on which subjects would be prioritised for teaching grant funding.
Ministers have said they will provide some funding for strategically important subjects, such as maths and science, but have not set out exactly which courses that will cover.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Students demonstrated against fees in Westminster on Wednesday Related stories
Vice-chancellors are to warn of the devastating impact on universities if politicians fail to agree on government plans to raise tuition fees.
Universities UK (UUK) head Professor Steve Smith says without higher fees the number of student places would have to be cut, as teaching grants are axed.
At a debate later, Prof Smith will also call for the government to say which subjects it plans to subsidise.
The government said it was aiming for a vote on the issue before Christmas.
It wants to allow universities in England to raise tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 a year from the current £3,290. Universities in Wales and Northern Ireland are likely to follow.
But graduates would not start repaying the loans covering these fees until they earn £21,000 a year.
Before the general election the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats disagreed on raising tuition fees, with Lib Dems promising to phase them out.
Party leader Nick Clegg has since said he had to change his mind when he discovered the true state of the public finances.
“We need to know what the government is planning for student numbers”
Prof Steve Smith Universities UK Any rise in fees must be supported by a vote in both the Lords and the Commons.
Prof Smith's comments come a day after students and pupils protested against fees and university budget cuts in central London and in university towns and cities around England and Scotland.
At a debate on higher education funding in central London on Thursday, he will say: "The economic environment has led to an unpalatable choice between increasing the graduate contribution or cutting student numbers.
"Cutting student numbers would do more harm to social mobility than an increased graduate contribution with a progressive repayment mechanism, and more maintenance support for students from low-income backgrounds."
But he will also warn the government that its support for the government's proposals is only conditional "upon a long-term commitment to public investment in higher education".
Universities Minister David Willetts is planning to phase out teaching grants from most arts and humanities subjects. He is expected to speak at Thursday's debate.
Prof Smith will say: "We understand the concerns raised since the publication of Lord Browne's review and the spending review announcement.
"UUK has consistently opposed disproportionate cuts to the higher education budget."
The government has said it will publish a higher education White Paper this winter, but the Business, Innovation and Skills department business plan suggests it may not be published until March 2011.
Prof Smith will say this is too late for universities which need to publish their prospectuses in the spring.
"We need to know what the government is planning for student numbers as soon as possible. Many students were unable to get a place at university this summer and we obviously want to avoid this happening again."
He added that urgent clarification was needed on which subjects would be prioritised for teaching grant funding.
Ministers have said they will provide some funding for strategically important subjects, such as maths and science, but have not set out exactly which courses that will cover.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.