Coventry expels tuition fee defaulters

Coventry University expelled 445 undergraduates - 3 per cent of its total enrolment - for failing to pay their fees in the past academic year.

In addition, about 11 per cent of students are blocked from using library and IT facilities because of non-payment of fees, Coventry confirmed this week.

The university said it was unable to provide a detailed breakdown of the figures, including what proportion related to overseas students who pay full-cost tuition fees of several thousand pounds. Home and European Union students receive a loan, repayable after graduation, to cover tuition fees.

A spokeswoman said: "While the university is mindful of the financial problems faced by some students, it is legally accountable for the use of public funds."

She said that at present "about 11 per cent" have had their access to facilities blocked, a similar figure to last year. No students have been excluded so far in this academic year.

Some universities are owed large amounts of cash from defaulting overseas students.

At the end of the past financial year, the University of Wolverhampton was owed more than £1 million by foreign students: £945,000 in tuition fees and £85,000 in accommodation fees.

melanie.newman@tsleducation.com.