cover image: General Election Policy Briefing - Reforming student maintenance - MARCH 2024

General Election Policy Briefing - Reforming student maintenance - MARCH 2024

20 Mar 2024

If these thresholds costs are higher than the maximum loan for 57% of had increased with inflation since 2016, families on students, and for 19% of students, housing costs alone £32,535 or less would be eligible for the maximum are higher than the available loan.1 loan, compared to the current much lower threshold of • For the 2024/25 academic year, students will be £25,000. [...] Of those with have taken on extra part-time work, with almost a financial worries about university, the proportion citing quarter of students reporting they had missed a course cost of living increased from 17% in 2014 to 29% in deadline because of a job.4 2023.6 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEXT GOVERNMENT • The next government should re-introduce maintenance of which would be in the form of a non-rep. [...] We selected this scenario as it fulfils many of the changes needed to the existing system; reducing the debt burden Source: London Economics of students from poorer families (by re-introducing maintenance grants) A variation to the above, in which the £53,800 to £55,800), and £1,300 while also increasing the amount of same system of maintenance grants for female graduates (from £42,100 maintenance. [...] As maintenance levels in England have failed to rise with inflation during the cost of living crisis, in contrast with the rest of the UK, and they no longer cover the cost of essentials for the majority of students. [...] On top of this, the abolition of maintenance grants puts the highest debt burden on students from the poorest families, and rather than a system which enables young people from all backgrounds to attend, impacts on the university choices of some, and whether others attend university altogether.

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17
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United Kingdom