Access

• King's prides itself on its high state school intake and this can only be sustained if prospective applicants can afford to come here. Cambridge is perceived as financially and socially elitist by many potential applicants. If University rents are raised too far above the UK average, then prospective students will look elsewhere for higher education. Cambridge would miss out on taking some of the best students and the students themselves would be denied the education they deserve. King's must demonstrate, to the University, the importance of attracting the best students from all social backgrounds and all regions of the country.
• The Government will consider access as one of the key issues on which it bases further decisions about reducing the College fee. Unless Cambridge is seen to be championing the cause of open access, it could lay itself open to further criticism and cuts in funding. Over the past months, many other Cambridge Colleges have implemented large rent increases, based on the Bursars' report. Many of these increases will be subject to review in the near future, and a bold decision by King's to set sensible rent levels will not go unnoticed.
• The complete abolition of the maintenance grant for new students from 1999/00 onwards and the recent introduction of tuition fees means that living costs will become a very important factor in the decision making processes of prospective university applicants.
• In 1998/99, the maximum loan a new student outside London was able to take out was £2735, with a maximum grant of £810 in addition. A student qualifying for the entirety of the grant would not have to pay tuition fees. However, an 8.3% real terms increase in rents for six years - as advocated in the Bursars' Report (October 1998) - would put King's average termly rent at £645 (in 1999 terms) at the end of this period. Adding to this the FMC of £88 brings the bill to £733 per term i.e. £2199 per year, leaving such a student with £17.87 per week disposable income. It is impossible to live on £17.87 a week.

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