Spiralling housing costs in Britain have pushed university accommodation to brink of crisis, according to reports. At least half of the country’s students are struggling to pay their rents as the gap between their incomes and rent is steadily increasing. The student body, National Union of Students, has appealed for enforced rent controls to tackle the problem. According to the student housing charity Unipol, rents increased by 25 per cent between 2010 and 2013.
Repayment reliefStudents studying in the U.S. on education loan have a reason to rejoice. A new repayment plan called Repaye (revised pay as you earn) is expected to cut monthly debt payments to a small share of students' income.
Anyone who has taken federal direct loans can avail the programme. The debt-to-income ratio of students is not taken into consideration. According to reports, the monthly loan payments of participants will be capped at 10 per cent of the student's discretionary income.
Tuition fee waivedAnna Kern, an 18-year-old Ukrainian, has been offered a place at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) free of charge. Anna has been living for two years at a direct provision centre for asylum seekers at Knockalisheen, on the outskirts of Limerick City, Ireland. Having scored top marks from Limerick’s Coláiste Nano Nagle school, Anna wanted to study physiotherapy at RCSI. But the fee of €25,000 was too high for her. Her plight was highlighted by her school principal Marion Cummins and caught the attention of the education minister Jan O'Sullivan as well. Recognising her potential, the RCSI decided to waive her tuition fees.
