Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered (a) the reintroduction of maintenance grants for independent students and (b) removing the priority course requirement for this group of students.

The department recognises that independent students, including care leavers, care experienced and estranged students, may require additional support to access and achieve in higher education (HE).

The new targeted, means-tested maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year will help support students study subjects that support the government’s mission and Industrial Strategy. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maintenance-grants-for-higher-education-students/maintenance-grant-amounts-and-eligibility-criteria.

Care leavers aged under 25 will continue to receive a non-repayable £2,000 bursary for HE, and from the 2026/27 academic year all care leavers will receive the maximum loan for living costs. This support is irrespective of subject studied.

In addition, most independent students who are single will qualify for the maximum loan, and where applicable, the maximum long courses loan available to them for their full time courses. Maximum loans for living costs for undergraduate students will increase by 2.71% for the 2026/27 academic year.