Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the student finance means-testing system on families with multiple children attending higher education at the same time; and whether she plans to review how maintenance support is calculated in such circumstances.

The government considers the current household income assessment the fairest and most consistent way to target living cost support at undergraduate students whose families are least able to support them.

For the 2026/27 academic year, when two or more students in the same family are in higher education (HE), the student finance system takes this into account when calculating maintenance support.

Under the current split contributions policy, where household income exceeds £42,875, the same household contribution is shared across those students, rather than being applied separately. Some households supporting more than one student in HE can therefore receive more maintenance support than a household on the same income supporting only one student.

Under the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, split contributions will not apply to eligible new students starting courses or modules on or after 1 January 2027. Removing split contributions will therefore create a more consistent and streamlined approach to maintenance support across all students, regardless of household income, study intensity or mode of study.

Maintenance support will continue to be based on household income, with the highest levels of support targeted at students from the lowest-income households. Eligible students will also continue to be able to access other forms of student support, subject to meeting the relevant eligibility criteria.

The government will continue to keep the student finance system under review to ensure it remains fair, sustainable and focused on those with the greatest financial need.