Have-nots scrape by on £9.50 a week

There is a yawning gap between the haves and have-nots among UK students, with 8 per cent surviving on only £9.50 a week while 10 per cent have £150 a week, The Times Higher can reveal.

The Sodexho/ Times Higher university lifestyle survey, which provides new insight into the bank accounts, concerns and lifestyles of full-time students across the UK, shows that engineering and law students are the wealthiest, and science students are the poorest.

The survey points to a new underclass of students who live at home, isolated from the traditional university experience. One-quarter of students minimise their debts by living with family.

Closeness to the family home has become the most popular factor in choosing a university.

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