Brookes third year sets up petition for Oxford students to receive same maintenance loan as London students

Living in Oxford is pretty tough. From £6 pints to unaffordable living rates, Oxford is officially the most expensive UK city to live in.

It has even been proven that it's cheaper to buy an island in the Philippines than a one bed flat in Oxford. Despite this, Oxford students still do not receive the same student loan rates as London.

In response to this, third year Law student Ben Ellison created a petition calling for an increase to Oxford students' maintenance loans to match the London weighting.

Ben said: "After being ranked the least affordable city in the UK to live, it would make sense that the government and student finance reflect this fact in the amount of maintenance loan students living in Oxford receive, but they do not. Rent and living costs in Oxford are well above the national average."

He continued: "Studying and living in Oxford is financially straining on all students, affecting a students ability to achieve the best grades possible as they have to work long hours in a part time job just to live.

"With the added pressure of part-time work, on top of an already strenuous university schedule, a students mental and physical health, alongside grades, can suffer.

"The government need to assess the financial situation students within Oxford, as well as other expensive cities and fix the issue."

Nearly 400 people have signed the petition at the time of publishing. If you would like to add your name to it you can do so here.