Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department has provided to university students to help with the cost of living.

The government reviews the support provided to cover students’ living costs on an annual basis.

On 11 January 2023, the department boosted this year's student premium by £15 million to support more students. Meaning this year we provided £276 million of support though student premium funding. This extra funding will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship, and hardship support schemes. The department works with the Office for Students (OfS) to ensure universities support students using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.

We have continued to increase maximum loans and grants each year, with a 2.3% increase for the current 2022/23 academic year and a further 2.8% increase for 2023/24.

Loans that support with students’ living costs are a contribution towards their living costs while attending university, with the highest levels of support targeted at students who need it the most, such as students from low-income families. Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the tax year 2022/23 has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.

All households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Act passed on 25 October 2022 includes the provision which requires landlords to pass any benefits they receive from energy price support onto end users, as appropriate. Further details of the requirements under this Act are set out in the legislation.