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Northern Ireland's two universities have climbed down after threatening action against hard-up undergraduates who have failed to repay emergency loans issued when the Student Loans Company failed to provide cash in time.

The 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Ulster has paid out a total of Pounds 128,000 and is still owed more than Pounds 42,000 of it. Queen's 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Belfast, is believed to be almost Pounds 50,000 out of pocket. The universities have agreed to regard the money as access funds that require repayment.