Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support is available to students across the UK to provide assistance with the cost of living crisis.

Education is a devolved matter and so financial support with the cost of living for students in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be the responsibility of the devolved governments.

The Energy Price Guarantee announced on 8 September will save the average household at least £1,000 a year based on current energy prices from October and this is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.

To support disadvantaged students and those who need additional help in higher education in England, we have confirmed in our guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for academic year 2022/23.

The government has also worked closely with the OfS to clarify that English providers can draw upon this funding now, to provide hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by cost of living pressures.

Maximum grants and loans for living costs for England-domiciled students have also increased by 2.3% in the 2022/23 academic year. 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.

In addition, maximum tuition fees, and the subsidised loans available from the department to pay them, remain at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year in respect of standard full-time courses. We are also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. As well as reducing debt levels for students, the continued fee freeze will help to ensure that the English Higher Education system remains sustainable while also promoting greater efficiency at providers.

16 to 19-year-old students in England who need help with the costs of participating in education can receive help from the 16-19 Bursary Fund. Over £133 million was allocated to colleges, school sixth forms and other providers to make discretionary bursaries available to young people in the academic year 2021/22 and more will be available in allocations for 2022/23.

We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), inculding £1.34 billion in 2022/23. The AEB also funds colleges and training providers to help adult learners to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning. This includes Learner Support, to support learners with a specific financial hardship.