Crackdown on students 'in massive loans fraud'

THOUSANDS of mostly foreign students are suspected of fraudulently claiming hundreds of millions of pounds from the university loans system.

- By Stephen Beech

People with absolutely no academic intent are believed to have enrolled on degree courses to take out loans with no intention of paying the money back.

Officials believe there is organised recruitment of Romanians in particular to enrol.

The focus is on “franchised” universities, small colleges paid to provide courses for established universities but which often have lower entry requirements.