Oxford top of the class for student bursaries

Oxford University is one of the most generous investors in student bursaries, spending over £1.8m a year, according to new figures.The statistics, gathered by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) for the academic year 2006-7, reveal that Oxford is spending significantly more than most other UK universities.On average, higher education institutions spent a quarter of their additional income on supporting students. In contrast Oxford spent 35.2%, a total of £1,867,000. This equated to one in five new students receiving a bursary.Students have praised the University for its Oxford Opportunity Bursary scheme, which aims to aid students from underprivileged backgrounds.One student who benefits from the scheme said that she would not have been able to attend Oxford without the additional money.Rachael Featherstone, a mathematician at New College, said, “The Oxford Opportunity Bursary has enabled me to attend Oxford University without getting into financial difficulty (excluding the usual debt that most students accumulate). “I found out about the Oxford Opportunity Bursary whilst researching how much university life would cost.“The scheme made studying at Oxford a possibility for me and thus it did influence my decision to study here,” she added.Paul Clark, Head of Student Funding and Access at Oxford University, stressed the importance of such financial support. Clark said, “We strongly believe that no student should be deterred from studying at Oxford for financial reasons. We did everything we could to publicise our bursaries, through poster and advertising campaigns, targeted emails and a dedicated website. In addition we have substantially increased our resources for widening participation and outreach activities.”OUSU Vice-President for Access and Academic Affairs, James Lamming, also commended the University’s work. He said, “I am pleased to see the University has invested sums above the national average  in their efforts attracting the brightest and best students, which helps demonstrate that studying at Oxford depends on your brain and not your background.”Lamming added, “The bursaries are very important in ensuring that your financial situation does not influence where you study, and are a vital tool for encouraging students from poorer backgrounds to apply to Oxford and for supporting these students whilst they are studying.”by Katherine Hall