Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment has she made of the adequacy of financial support available to university students.

The government needs to ensure that the student funding system is financially sustainable, and funding arrangements are reviewed each year.

We are increasing loans for living costs each year in line with forecast inflation with students from the lowest income families receiving the largest year-on-year cash increases in support. Maximum loans for living costs will increase by 2.71% for the 2026/27 academic year.

We are also reintroducing maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year for full-time students from low-income households studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and Industrial Strategy from the 2028/29 academic year.

The department will also provide extra support for care leavers, some of the most vulnerable in our society, who will automatically become eligible to receive the maximum rates of loans for living costs from the 2026/27 academic year.