Oxford plans £3,000 bursaries
Oxford is to give poorer students bursaries worth up to £13,000 over a four-year course when top-up fees come into effect. The plan will see those with parents earning less than £16,000 getting £4,000 in the first year, with £3,000 for each year of the course thereafter. Smaller bursaries will be available for students with higher parental incomes.
| Household income | Oxford bursary | |
| First year | Subsequent years | |
| £0-£15,999 | £4,000 | £3,000 |
| £16,000-£22,499 | £3,000 | £2,600 |
| £22,500-£33.499 | Sliding scale: £2,500 to £1,500 per year | |
It is hoped that the Oxford Opportunity Bursaries will increase the number of students from low-income backgrounds - they currently make up just 3% of the university’s student population.
Oxford’s vice-chancellor, Dr John Hood, said that the bursaries offered "a golden opportunity to every talented young person who was previously deterred by cost from applying to Oxford".
From 2006 Oxford plans to charge the full £3,000 for all of its courses under the government’s new variable fees regime.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Cambridge may be thinking of introducing bursaries of £4,000 a year. The price war has begun in earnest…
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