Grade requirement for student loans would cut a financial lifeline for English universities

Institutions could lose out on at least £200m a year if 30,000 or so potential students without even one GCSE are excluded each year

If universities thought a Labour government would quickly revive their financial stability, those days are over. The vibes may have improved but little else has, with rising costs remorselessly squeezing their budgets and universities having to cut or close departments.

Prestigious universities such as Nottingham were hit after tougher visa restrictions skewered their strategy of relying on overseas students paying higher tuition fees.