WINCHESTER University has told students who have been housed more than 10 miles from the city that they will not cover their four-figure travel costs, despite promising to reimburse all freshers placed off campus.

The university told fifty students who were allocated rooms in Southampton’s Liberty Point that they will only receive food vouchers and book tokens as a “gesture of goodwill” despite having to pay over £1,000 to commute to lectures.

In an email seen from September 3 by the Hampshire Chronicle, the university told students that “reasonable public transport travel costs will be reimbursed to any student placed off campus.”

The university has arranged a bus service to shuttle 45 students from Basingstoke’s Premier Inn West and the Holiday Inn, Winchester, while 18 freshers living in Eastleigh’s Premier Inn will have travel costs covered until they are re-housed. They will also subsidise rent for all freshers in hotels.

But this offer has not been extended to students placed in Liberty Point, Southampton, despite the cost of an annual rail ticket adding £1,092 to their £5,207 rent.

One first-year student, who asked not to be named, received the email offering to reimburse transport costs.

She said: “They stated in an email that all students placed off campus would receive reasonable travel expenses. They have later said that this only applies to those in temporary accommodation in hotels, not to those in permanent positions off campus.

“I applied for the university as my insurance offer, not through clearing, yet I’m still in Southampton. They provided money on a food card for us to use on campus only. They should be paying for our travel!”

In an email dated September 6 the university offered a £100 campus food voucher to students placed in Southampton. They later upped the offer to £550 catering credit and a £50 book token.

Professor Neil Marriott, deputy vice-chancellor of Winchester University, said: “This gesture of goodwill is more than equivalent to the cost of parking at the university and at Liberty Point, more than covers the cost of student bus return fares and makes a significant contribution to the cost of student rail fares.

“This offer enables all students to receive a monetary award to help offset travel expenses, without favouring students travelling by car, train or bus.”

The university promised other students £200 a week if they gave up their hotel rooms and commuted from home.

Around 190 freshers are still waiting for housing.