Student loans bill for EU undergraduates tops £100m

By Alex Usher. The amount of taxpayers' money handed to students from mainland Europe to take courses at British universities soared above £100 million for the first time last year, it has emerged. Figures show that funding awarded to EU students increased by more than £15m – 17.5 per cent – in just 12 months on the back of a surge in demand from eastern European nations. In all, almost 32,000 undergraduates took out Government-backed loans to cover tuition fees in 2011/12 – almost four times the total five years earlier.
Students from Romania were one of the largest recipients of funding, while those from Lithuania and Bulgaria also received more loans than most other countries. It is predicted that the size of loans awarded to EU students will soar further this year following a sharp rise in university tuition fees. Read more...