Coventry University has always taken great pride in its well funded bursaries scheme, which has been praised by the Sunday Times University guide. However a recent report by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) show that Coventry University’s students are not taking advantage of this scheme, as much as they could.

The report shows that Coventry University has yet to spend a shocking £1.5 million they allocated to student bursaries.  Last year the Students Union Advice Centre (SUAC) received 1860 inquiries from students with financial difficulties.  Could these students have tapped this unspent money to ease some of their financial worries?  This raises the question is the current bursaries scheme really making sure that money gets to the students who need it?

NUS Vice President (Education) Wes Streeting said: “NUS believes that these problems would not exist if a national bursary scheme were in place. It would reduce bureaucracy and ensure that financial support is based on what students need, not where they study”

CUSU is supporting the NUS campaign on this issue which also calls for the introduction of a national bursaries scheme to ensure that money allocated to students is spent on students and that bursary funds are a distributed fairly. Nationally universities have failed to spend £24 million in allocated bursary money.

However back at Coventry the issue remains what is to be done with the unspent £1.5 million.  At a Union General Meeting in 2005 the Vice Chancellor was asked how the University would be spending its additional income from top-up fees. She replied that it would be spent to allow up to 70 per cent of new students to receive a scholarship or bursaries. 

Students’ Union President, Tom Wood (pictured) said: “This money is student’s money paid for by top up fees, the best way for students to ensure this money, comes back to them is to find out if they are eligible for a bursary, from the student funding office.”

“Should there be any money remaining I am calling on the Vice-Chancellor to honour her commitments to the Students to ensure that all remaining unspent bursary funding is reallocated to student support”.

When presented with an invoice representing the £1.5 million the university said: “We are committed to providing the bursaries and scholarships we have advertised to those eligible to receive them. However we cannot force students or their parents to apply – they have to take this step themselves. Improving the quality of the student experience at the University remains a key priority for us, if the financial position at the end of the year permits, we will certainly be looking to spend more on facilities or services that benefit students directly.”