University tuition fees have been a controversial issue in the UK. Fees were introduced in 1998 and have increased substantially since. Protests have occurred over proposed rises, with fees in England set to increase to a maximum of £9,000 per year. This would leave average students with debts of around £38,000 upon graduating. There are also concerns that funding cuts will disproportionately impact subjects outside of math and science. As fewer students opt to study languages without the requirement to do so, the UK workforce is lacking language skills important for business.