Higher Education Student Support

Lord Johnson of Marylebone Excerpts

Tuesday 21st July 2015 Written Statements

[The Minister for Universities and Science (Joseph Johnson)]

I am today confirming the student support package for higher education students undertaking a course of study in the 2016-17 academic year beginning in August 2016.

Tuition fees and fee loans

For all new full-time students and eligible continuing full-time students who started their courses on or after 1 September 2012, maximum tuition fees and maximum fee loans will be maintained in 2016-17 at the £6,000 and £9,000 levels which apply in 2015-16.

For continuing full-time students who started their courses before September 2012, maximum tuition fees and maximum fee loans will be maintained in 2016-17 at the £3,465 level which applies in 2015-16.

For all new part-time students and eligible continuing part-time students who started their courses on or after 1 September 2012, maximum tuition fees and maximum fee loans will be maintained at the £4,500 and £6,750 levels which apply in 2015-16.

Maintenance support for new full-time students in 2016-17

In the Budget earlier this month the Chancellor announced that, for new full-time students starting to attend their courses on or after 1 August 2016, all maintenance grants will be replaced by maintenance loans. Eligible students on low incomes will qualify for a maximum maintenance loan that is 10.3% higher than the maximum maintenance grant and loan support available in 2015-16.

For new students living away from home and studying outside London, the maximum maintenance loan available for 2016-17 will be £8,200, a £766 increase compared to the maximum maintenance support in 2015-16. I can confirm that the equivalent loan rates for students living away from home and studying in London will be £10,702; for those living in the parental home during their studies, £6,904; and for those studying overseas as part of their UK course, £9,391.

Maintenance support for new full-time students entitled to certain benefits in 2016-17

For eligible new full-time students starting to attend their courses in 2016-17, who qualify for certain benefits, all special support grants will be replaced by maintenance loans. The maximum maintenance support package for eligible students on low incomes who qualify for certain benefits will be increased by forecast inflation (2.41%) in 2016-17 when compared with the maximum special support grant and maintenance loan support available in 2015-16. Students who qualify for benefits will continue to receive more maintenance support than other students.

For new students who qualify for benefits who are living away from home and studying outside London, the maximum maintenance loan available for 2016-17 will be £9,347, a £220 increase compared to the maximum maintenance support in 2015-16. I can confirm that the equivalent loan rates for students who qualify for benefits who are living away from home and studying in London will be £11,671; for those living in the parental home during their studies, £8,144; and for those studying overseas as part of their UK course, £10,453.

Maintenance support for new full-time students aged 60 or over at the start of their course in 2016-17

For new full-time students aged 60 or over who are starting to attend their courses in 2016-17, special support grants will be replaced by maintenance loans. The maximum maintenance loan for eligible students on low incomes who are aged 60 or over at the start of their course will be increased by forecast inflation (2.41%) in 2016-17 to £3,469 when compared with the maximum special support grant available in 2015-16.

Maintenance support for full-time students continuing their courses in 2016-17

Maintenance grant/special support grant

For continuing full-time students who started attending their course on or after 1 September 2012 but before 1 August 2016, the maximum maintenance grant and special support grant will be maintained at 2015-16 levels in 2016-17, £3,387.

For continuing full-time students who started their courses before 1 September 2012, the maximum maintenance grant and special support grant in 2016-17 will be maintained at 2015-16 levels in 2016-17, £3,110.

Maintenance loans

Maximum maintenance loans for eligible students who started attending their courses on or after 1 September 2012, but before 1 August 2016, will be increased by forecast inflation (2.41%). For students who are living away from home and studying outside London, the maximum loan for living costs will be £5,878. I can confirm that the equivalent loan rates for students living away from home and studying in London will be £8,202; for those living in the parental home during their studies, £4,675; and for those studying overseas as part of their UK course, £6,984.

Maximum maintenance loans for eligible students who started attending their courses before 1 September 2012 will be increased by forecast inflation (2.41%). For eligible full-time students who started attending their courses before 1 September 2012 and are living away from home while studying outside London, the maximum loan for living costs will be £5,292. I can confirm that the equivalent loan rates for students living away from home and studying in London will be £7,404; for those living in the parental home during their studies, £4,102; and for those studying overseas as part of their UK course, £6,299.

Long courses loans

The maximum long courses (maintenance) loans for new and continuing students who are attending full-time courses that are longer than 30 weeks and three days during the academic year will be increased by forecast inflation (2.41%).

Dependants’ grants

Maximum amounts for dependants’ grants—adult dependants’ grant, childcare grant and parents’ learning allowance—will be maintained at 2015-16 levels in 2016-17 for all new and continuing full-time students.

The maximum adult dependants’ grant will be £2,757 in 2016-17.

The maximum childcare grant payable in 2016-17, which covers 85% of actual childcare costs, will be £155.24 per week for one child only and £266.15 per week for two or more children.

The maximum parents’ learning allowance payable in 2016-17 will be £1,573.

Part-time grants and loans

For those students who started part-time and full-time distance learning courses before 1 September 2012 and who are continuing their courses in 2016-17, maximum fee and course grants will be maintained at the levels that apply for 2015-16. Maximum fee grants will be maintained at £1,285, depending on the intensity of study of the course. Maximum course grants will be maintained at £280.

Income thresholds

Household income thresholds for grants for fees, maintenance and dependants and those for maintenance loans, will be maintained at 2015-16 levels for 2016-17.

Disabled students’ allowance

Lastly today, I can confirm that maximum grants for full-time, part-time and postgraduate students with disabilities will be maintained at 2015-16 levels in 2016-17.

Regulations

I expect to lay regulations implementing changes to student support for 2016-17 later this year. More details of the 2016-17 student support package will be published by my Department in due course.

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