In Context: 5 Web Perspectives On A Story In The News

Gap between rich and poor in universities

(BBC) The U.K. education system is being analyzed to determine the gap in rich and poor students attending university. A new report by by Hefce statisticians looks at trends in the university participation of 18 and 19-year-olds between 1994 and 2010. It shows young students in the poorest areas of England are 30 per cent more likely to go to university than they were five years ago. One fifth of the poorest students go to university, which is an increase from one eighth since 2004. In contrast, 57 per cent of the richest students attend university. Overall, 36 per cent of England's young people go to university, compared to 30 per cent in 1994, when this study was initiated. This is an important issue because it shows that the traditional limits to achieving a good post-secondary education are diminishing. Students of all financial walks of life have the ability to achieve their educational dreams with various forms of financial support, and this is an important step in providing equal educational opportunities to all groups of students.

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Financial survival tips, support and all things related to U.K. student life

Student UK - Independent student-run magazine offering financial tips and support
Student UK is an interactive online magazine that allows students to vent about financial troubles in chat rooms, get updates via Twitter and advice for accommodation, health, safety and finance. The site utilizes a wide range of interactive online multimedia to bring the latest relavent stories to the student body's attention, while at the same time providing a platform for students to voice their concerns. It has an unmatched approach to student support in a way that is both interesting and informative.

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A place for poor students to connect

Poor Student Life
Poor Student Life provides an opportunity to learn about the perils of paying back student loans and generally keeping above crippling educational debt. As opposed to a government-run website providing similar information, Poor Student Life provides guerilla-tactics that have been tried and tested by students in the same poisition. In this sense, the website focuses on the most hard-up of students, giving specific information and advice to those that need it most.

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The sketchy state of U.K. student loans

The Student Loans Company
This company has recently been in the news for massive layoffs and controversial practices concerning a worker in a call centre stealing money from 25 student accounts, yet the most interesting aspect is the state of the student loan system in the U.K. With 30 per cent more poorer students going to university today than there were five years ago, this adds newfound importance to educational financial aid in the U.K. The site supposedly provides reliable loans for students, but if the system is susceptible to random attacks from call centre workers, students need to keep a close eye on this website and the processes it undertakes to provide accommodations.

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A place for students of all walks of life to come together

The National Student Magazine
This site fosters a growing national student community within the U.K. providing a place for students to vent about financial woes, but also come together to discuss things they love about student life and the opportunities available for people in all financial situations. The site is quite popular due to its focus on arts and entertainment issues and its ability to act as a cross-platform website for students across Britain. It also uses various forms of multimedia to spread there message of general connectivity between all students.

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The voice of the representatives of UK universities

Universities UK
This website run by the governing bodies of the UK heads of universities tackles important financial issues that are extremely relevant to students in tough financial situations. It reports on challenges made to the government on issues like tuition, green technologies and educational quality standards. The general aim of the site is to works to advance the interests of universities and to spread good practice throughout the higher education sector, by partnering with various universities and education systems. It also provides recent links to activities in parliament as well as having a fully functioning press unit. This is essentially the best websdite for students with financial concerns to receive the best up-to-date information in a fast and interesting way.