The status is an essential government precondition for attracting non-EU based foreign students.

In addition, and financially-speaking most importantly, it means that the College may now increase elevenfold the numbers of non-EU based international students it may sponsor each year, up to 22 from just two.

The move comes during a time of major change and potential growth for Spurgeon's College. Its new agreement with the University of Manchester, under which it validates the College's undergraduate and postgraduate courses, began in September 2012.

Shortly before Christmas the College announced that Revd Dr Roger Standing will become its new Principal, succeeding Dr Nigel Wright in September this year.

Chris King, business manager of Spurgeon's College, said, 'We are absolutely delighted to have been granted favoured status with the Border Agency. It ends a period of great uncertainty in terms of how many non-EU students we could host, which in turn made making accurate financial projections very difficult, too.

'Ending this uncertainty, as well as tying up the validation agreement with the University of Manchester and completing a smooth succession process for our new Principal Roger Standing, will enable the College to go from strength to strength in 2013 and beyond.'