Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment has she made of the affordability of (a) housing and (b) other cost of living costs for university students.

The government is aware of the increasing cost of living pressures on students. The department has put in place a significant amount of support to support students in England to tackle this.

The department has continued to increase living costs support each year for English-domiciled students with a 2.3% increase to maximum loans and grants for living and other costs for the 2022/23 academic year, and a 2.8% increase for the 2023/24 academic year.

The department has also earmarked £276 million of student premium funding this year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help.

In addition, the department has frozen maximum tuition fees for the 2022/23 academic year, as well as for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By the 2024/25 academic year, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. The department believes that a continued fee freeze achieves the best balance between ensuring the system remains sustainable, while offering good value for taxpayers, not all of whom have benefitted from a university education.

As well as keeping tuition fees flat, the department has introduced and boosted degree apprenticeships, where, if people want to earn and learn, they can get their degrees paid for by their apprenticeship.

The government plays no direct role in the provision of student residential accommodation, whether it is managed by universities or private companies. The department encourages universities and private landlords to review their accommodation policies to ensure they are fair, clear, and have the interests of students at heart. This includes making accommodation available at a range of affordable price points where possible. The student funding system also targets the most support for living costs to those who need it most, from the lowest income families.