University bosses in Bolton are set to charge tuition fees of up to £8,400.

Bolton University claims there will be "no profiteering" in the move, which introduces a three-band fee structure starting at £6,300.

The fixed fees will apply to UK and EU full-time students studying on its undergraduate courses starting in September 2012.

Laboratory/specialist courses, taught in dedicated facilities, will cost £8,400-a-year.

Studio-based/resource intensive courses - utilising specialist equipment, will cost £7,200.

And classroom-based courses, lecture theatre or classroom based, will cost £6,300.

The University estimates that almost 70 per cent of students will pay £7,200 pa or less, and the majority of those students opting for £8,400-a-year band courses are also likely to be eligible for fee waivers of up to £1,200 pa from the Government's Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) funding.

So far, almost three-quarters of universities that have announced their tuition fee plans have opted to charge the maximum £9,000 for at least some of their degree courses from 2012.

The average fee of those that have made their plans public currently stands at £8,678.36.

The government has said fees of more than £6,000 will be allowed only in "exceptional circumstances".

At Bolton University, to help offset the impact of fees on students there will be a range of scholarships in addition to Government grants.

"We are not in the business of profiteering from students and their families and do not intend to require one group of students to subsidise the learning of others, hence our range of fixed fees," says University of Bolton Vice Chancellor, Dr George Holmes.

"It should be remembered that a degree from a British university represents an excellent investment and increases a graduate's lifetime earning potential.

"In fact, the Office of National Statistics highlighted on the 6 April 2011 that graduates earn £12,000 per year more than non-graduates*.

A total of 67 universities or university colleges have declared their tuition fees, with at least 63 yet to do so. Of the 67, 46 said they wanted to charge £9,000 for all their courses.