“Fair” for students to ask whether the loan is worth it
The vice-chancellor of the University of East Anglia has said it is fair for new undergraduates to question the affordability and value of student loans — the second university head this month to break with the sector’s usual line. Coming from institutions that depend on students taking those loans, these statements are the clearest signal that the funding argument has moved inside the tent.
Leeds students push for misogyny to be treated as a hate crime
Leeds University Union is leading a campaign to have misogyny reclassified as a hate crime, which it is not at present. Hate crime status changes how police record and investigate an offence, and student unions have been among the more effective campaigners on it because universities collect their own harassment data.
Where to live next year, in the most expensive city in the country
A guide to London’s student housing areas — what each costs, how long the commute really takes, and which are worth the rent. London is where the gap between the maintenance loan and actual rent is widest, so the choice of area does more work than anywhere else. Finding student housing covers contracts and deposits.
The thirty hardest universities to get into
UCAS figures ranked by entry difficulty put some familiar names in unfamiliar places, because difficulty is set by applications per place rather than by reputation. For anyone choosing five courses, the useful version of this table is the subject-level one your school’s careers adviser can pull.