Poorer Students Hit by Huge Financing Cut

• £100 million cut from the National Scholarship Program.
• £1,000 loss in minimum overall value of student bursaries. 
• Students’ Guild encourages students to contact local MPs. 

Exeter University will be part of a £100 million cut to the National Scholarship Program and a cut in the value of bursaries for students with the greatest financial needs.

The announcement was made in an open letter from the Higher Education Funding Council England, which was circulated to all English Universities.

NSP funding will be cut from £150 million to £50 million for 2014-15, and the minimum overall value of bursaries will be lowered from £3,000 to £2,000, which means that poorer students will receive less financial support.

Exeter’s poorest students will be affected by the budget cut

The Students’ Guild was immediately notified, and have begun making plans to lobby local MPs, David Willetts, Vince Cable and Liam Byrne in Westminster to oppose the measures.

They will also be working with the University to limit the impact the cuts have on the students in most need, and are considering plans for an additional subsistence bursary.

A statement from the Guild said: “The lack of consultation with students nationally and locally on this decision is truly shocking, especially when considering that applications have already begun and many students have already applied to the University of Exeter.

“We urge our students to get in touch with their local MP to lobby them to oppose the cut.”

Click on this image to download a letter template to send.