Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will introduce supplementary grants for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, as other associated countries provide.

The government are committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university.

The government currently provides three mean-tested dependants’ grants that low-income students with childcare and/or caring responsibilities can apply for in addition to the regular package of maintenance and tuition fee loans. These are intended to reflect the greater costs that recipients face when going to university, providing a level playing field for students who face additional barriers to study.

From 2028/29, we will also reintroduce maintenance grants to support full-time students from low-income households studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and Industrial Strategy. The grants will provide disadvantaged full-time students with up to £1,000 extra per year, on top of existing maintenance loans, increasing cash for students without increasing their debt.