Universities in Leicester say they will help pay for less well-off students if they are allowed to increase tuition fees.

A review beginning this year could lead to the removal of the cap on fees, currently £3,225 a year.

A poll has shown that two-thirds of vice-chancellors want fees to rise and more than half want them to increase to at least £5,000.

University of Leicester registrar Dave Hall said the rise in student numbers had to be paid for – but safeguards should be in place so that less well-off school-leavers were not deterred.

The call comes two months after the Mercury revealed how Leicester's Freeman ward – covering part of Knighton Fields, Saffron Lane and Aylestone Road – had the fifth-lowest proportion of people going to university in the country.

Fewer than one in 20 teenagers in the area go into higher education. Mr Hall said: "If we are to have world-class education and widen participation, it needs additional investment and we need to ensure we are able to maintain the diverse range of students, including those from less advantaged backgrounds.

"We work with schools to increase the number of students from diverse backgrounds and we've found that fees are not the primary issue – they don't even expect to go to university and that's the real problem.

"We want more students, we want a world-class education system and that costs money and the question is – who should pay for it, the person or the state? They both benefit, so it's fair they should share the cost.

"If tuition fees increased, we would be committed to offering bursaries, which we have done since they were first introduced."

The National Union of Students said fees of £5,000 would leave most graduates more than £27,856 in debt by the end of their courses. All students currently pay the same flat rate. But, while English degrees cost universities about £5,000 per year per student, those for medicine rise to £15,000.

A De Montfort University spokeswoman said: "Whatever is decided regarding the cap on fees, we will continue to ensure we provide access to higher education for people regardless of their background."

She said the university had a good record of offering courses to a wide cross-section of society and of offering scholarships and bursaries to poorer students.

Student Felicity Thistlethwaite, 20, of Oadby, said: "The increase is definitely going to put off prospective students. It is difficult to afford the cost of university as it is, without this rise. I struggle to afford university even with the loans, and the impending debt is a big worry."

Clare Gilding, 19, of Aylestone, said: "High tuition fees equal more debt for students, which means those considering going to university will be more wary about going."

No-one from Loughborough University was available for comment.