How will post-grads pay when tuition fees go up?

This week I was talking to a journalism lecturer very concerned about the future - particularly for post-grad journalism courses.

It follows the news that the current cap of £3,290 on tuition fees may be lifted and a "free market" introduced into higher education. There is speculation that fees could rise to up to £10,000 a year.

The journalism lecturer could not see how, following a hike in tuition fees, students will be able to find the extra funds to pay for post-grad courses. What makes it more difficult is in journalism there is no guarantee you are going to earn a decent salary when you graduate and in some cases you'll be asked to work for nothing on an "internship".

• Tonight I'm going to a reunion of my City University journalism post-grad course. Tom Welsh, the first director of journalism at City University, tells me that all the students on our course in 1976 got local authority grants and had their tuition fees paid.