Free and secure accommodation, no bills and even the odd home-cooked meal. It sounds like the perfect living arrangement for cash-strapped students. Two mothers believe they have devised a way for struggling students to save on accommodation costs when they leave home to study at university. Kate Barnham and Amanda Flude have launched Student Swaps, an online accommodation forum   for parents and students, in advance of the introduction in September of PS3,000 higher education top-up fees. Their website says, "The principle behind Student Swaps is to enable students to literally swap   family homes." The website will hold a database of students who would like to swap and link them with suitable matches. So those from one town / city could swap with those from a different town / city. The site describes itself as offering a "cost-free accommodation alternative... at a time of growing student debt". There is no charge for the service at the moment but Ms Barnham and Ms Flude intend to introduce a PS10 annual fee if it becomes established. However, the National Union of Students (NUS) has warned that, while the scheme may sound appealing to struggling freshers, it lacks any formal regulation. Veronica King, NUS vice-president of welfare, said, "The fact that this scheme has even been suggested is evidence to the high levels of debt students now face on graduation." Recent research has shown that students are more likely to live at home in coming years, in a bid to cut down on the cost of a degree. "This is worrying, as it may mean that students choose their university on the basis of where it is, rather than because it offers the best course for them. It also means students will miss out on what is for some a key part of the student experience-living away from home." What is Kate Barnham and Amanda Flude's purpose of launching Student Swaps?
To provide cheaper accommodation for students. To let students stay close to their universities. To help students spend less on accommodation costs. To let students exchange ideas freely online.