BOSSES at a Hampshire university are considering a second U-turn in three weeks over their policy to cover travel costs for students forced to live 13 miles from campus.

Winchester University had backtracked earlier this month on a promise to reimburse 50 students placed in Southampton, who have been saddled with a travel bill of more than £1,000 to commute to lectures.

But housing chiefs are now considering a pay-out as some students struggle to afford the £1,092 annual rail fare on top of their £127-a-week rent.

It comes a week after the Daily Echo reported how more than 100 students at the university had been landed with round trips of up to 40 miles because of a housing crisis.

After the university accepted record numbers of students, 50 were given rooms in Southampton, and 73 others were placed in stop-gap hotels in Eastleigh, Basingstoke and Winchester.

Naomi Carter, Winchester Student Union president, met with university deputy vice-chancellor Professor Neil Marriott yesterday to discuss the situation.

She said that the university was considering reimbursing students who were in particular financial difficulty.

“It needs to extend to as many students as possible,” she said. “We’re liaising with the university, not against them, to get this solved.”

Sabiha Choudhury, whose daughter moved from Brighton to Liberty Point in Southampton last week, said that the university’s offer of £550 food credit and a £50 book token was not enough to offset her travel costs.

“It’s all about them,” she said. “The £550 goes back to them because it’s being spent in their canteens. I’m not happy. If they don’t cover [transport] and she’s unable to cope then it falls on me. If they’re having to worry about their finances it might affect their studies.”

Another parent, who asked not to be named, said that she explained her financial concerns to housing officers and was told “there is plenty of part-time work in Southampton”.

Deirdre Hume, from Lymington, whose son Dominic was given two out-of-city housing offers in one week, said that their handling of the crisis was an “absolute shambles and a scandal”.

Ms Carter will hold a drop-in session at the Student Union this week to keep freshers informed.

The university did not provide a comment on the possible U-turn when asked by the Daily Echo.

Professor Marriott had previously said that there had been an “unprecedented” demand for housing as more students than expected had retained their place.