LABOUR has made a last-ditch plea for students to register to vote by stressing its manifesto pledge to abolish tuition fees.
Leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the Conservatives of having "held students back for too long" by helping to treble tuition fees to more than £9,000 a year, claiming Labour wants to "lift this cloud of debt" by making it free for people to study at university in England.
His party is seeking to tap into the student vote, including those 18-year-olds sitting their A-levels and about to start university, as it bids to secure power at the General Election.
Electoral Commission data shows more than two million people have applied to register to vote since Prime Minister Theresa May announced on April 18 her intention to call an election.
Labour estimates its policy to scrap tuition fees could benefit around 400,000 students from this autumn if numbers remain unchanged.
The party says it would abolish fees from 2018 and write-off the first year of fees for those planning to start university this September, while those part way through their degree will pay no further fees for the remainder of the course.
Labour adds it would seek to provide free tuition for EU students and would seek reciprocal arrangements at EU universities as part of Brexit talks.
Mr Corbyn said: "We will scrap tuition fees and ensure universities have the resources they need to continue to provide a world-class education.
"Students will benefit from having more money in their pockets, and we will all benefit from the engineers, doctors, teachers and scientists that our universities produce."
In the north, options for on higher education funding - including one that could see a three-year degree costing £27,000 - were being considered.
Home students at the north's institutions will pay more than £4,000 a year for the first time in 2017.
Before May's assembly election, former minister Stephen Farry published options for securing a sustainable higher education system. The status quo, he said, had led to reduced student and staff places.
With Stormont finances expected become even tighter, it is feared a tuition rise may be the only available source of extra income.
Annual costs ranging from £6,500 to £9,000 are being considered. There is also an option to set student contributions at between £5,500 and £6,000 annually, however, this would also require increased public investment.
Unions have argued that any spike in fees would further disadvantage potential students from working class backgrounds.
