Top universities must spend more to recruit poorer students

Leading London universities will be expected to double the amount they spend on recruiting poorer students, under new guidelines published today.

Any university that charges £9,000 in tuition fees will have to spend about £900 of it on "widening access", the Office for Fair Access said. Imperial College is the first London university to announce it will charge the highest rate.

Aaron Porter, president of the National Union of Students, said virtually all universities in the capital will eventually charge the top rate because they do not fear losing students.

Guidance published by Offa said every university that plans to charge more than £6,000 from next year must make plans to ensure poorer students are not priced out. Top universities spend about £400 on widening access.

The extra money should be used to pay for programmes to attract deprived teenagers, fee waivers and "outreach activities", Offa said.