Students face another 10% cut in grants

STUDENT grants for the next academic year are to be cut by 10 per cent. The full grant will not even cover the fees of some halls of residence, and many students will be in debt before buying their first book.

The grant will be pounds 2,560 for a student living in London and pounds 2,040 elsewhere. Students who live at home will get pounds 1,615.

It is government policy to reduce the grant and make students borrow instead from the Student Loan Company.

A spokesman for the National Union of Students said: 'Debt is now built into the student economy. For the next year the actual amount of the grant will be exceeded by rent.'

The student loan for 1994/95 has been been increased in London from pounds 940 to pounds 1,375. Out of London the maximum loan is pounds 1,150, and pounds 915 is available for students living at home. Many students also need a bank overdraft.

Tomorrow in The Independent on Sunday we review the group of students we have been tracking for three years.