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Students sitting exams set by the Institute of Linguistics have been shocked by huge fee hikes.

Lynn Holman, a student at London's Morley College, said she had been told that fees for each of her four exams would rise from ?65 to ?250. The deadline for payment is the end of this month.

"The size and the suddenness of the announcement has appalled students," Ms Holman said. "I am no longer sure whether I can continue with this course."

Ms Holman, a mature student sitting the Diploma of International Communications, said many linguists were self-financing, unlike other students sitting professional examinations. She has written to higher education minister Margaret Hodge complaining about the rise.

Henry Pavlovich, chief executive of the institute, said a decision had been made to increase the price of all exams to cover costs previously subsidised from membership fees. "The institute receives no public funds and must cover its over-heads," he said. "These are not exams intended for personal interest and we must retrieve the costs."

Last year, he said, subsidies rose to ?250,000 for the exams, which were extremely labour intensive as many oral tests required one-to-one supervision. In addition, Mr Pavlovich said more stringent regulations imposed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority had increased costs.