British students denied university places

An influx of students from new European Union states denied thousands of British teenagers university places this year, official figures reveal.

Numbers arriving from the ten 'accession' countries were up fourfold on last year, with nearly 4,000 claiming places.

This was despite unprecedented competition from British students ahead of a rise in fees next year. A record 106,430 applicants missed out on a place.

Under EU law, universities must consider all applications on their merits and could face legal action if they discriminated in favour of British students.

EU students are also eligible for the same financial aid as UK students and receive the entire £1,175-a-year fee if their family income is less than £21,475.