University students in England are facing a “cost of learning crisis”, with the real value of government maintenance support sinking to its lowest level in almost a decade, according to think-tank research.
The maximum maintenance support available to undergraduates studying outside London in 2024-25 was £10,227 — 1 per cent higher in real terms than what it was in 2015-2016.
Undergraduates receiving the maximum loan entitlement this year will confront a shortfall of £8,400 to meet the “minimum income standard” needed “to have the opportunities and choices necessary to participate in society”, said the Higher Education Policy Institute.