British universities based hundreds of miles from London are setting up outposts in the capital to lure foreign students in an effort to bolster their finances.

A dozen institutions, including some in Scotland and Northern Ireland, have opened campuses in the city as they seek new ways to balance the books after a decade of frozen domestic fees.

The universities are able to charge foreign students more but often find it difficult to entice them to regional cities. With their London outposts they are able to tap into the lucrative market for overseas students, particularly those wishing to study business, while undercutting more prestigious rivals.

York St John University’s London campus is on the sixth floor of an office block in Docklands and is home to about 2,000 students.Its main campus is more traditional

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Sunderland, Teesside, West of Scotland (UWS), Staffordshire, Northumbria and York St John are all using sites in London to attract