Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide additional support to students who live in areas with very high accommodation costs.

The government recognises the cost-of-living pressures that continue to impact students, including those wishing to live in student accommodation.

Student accommodation is a busy part of the housing market, and as universities and landlords are private, autonomous bodies, the government has no role in providing student residential accommodation, nor a remit to intervene. The department expects 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.

In England, the department has put in place a significant amount of support to help students tackle the ongoing cost of living pressures. We have continued to increase support for living costs each year for English-domiciled students, with a 2.8% increase to maximum loans and grants for the current 2023/24 academic year.

Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2023/24 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the 2023/24 tax year has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, will be able to apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.

The department has frozen maximum tuition fees for the current academic year and for the 2024/25 academic year. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. We believe that this continued fee freeze achieves the best possible balance between ensuring the system stays sustainable, offering good value for the taxpayer, and reducing student debt.