Disadvantaged students studying priority courses will benefit from extra financial support to access and excel in higher education.

Students from some of the country’s lowest income households will benefit from the return of targeted, means-tested maintenance grants for higher education – at college or University – paid for by a new levy on international student fees.

As part of the government’s Plan for Change, the reintroduction of these grants will help remove barriers to opportunity and ensure that disadvantaged students are better supported to succeed.

The move follows a 20% real-terms decline in the value of maintenance loans over the past five years, leaving many students struggling to meet the rising cost of living.

Maintenance grants – abolished in 2016 – are now being reintroduced in a targeted, means-tested format.  These grants will offer vital financial support to eligible students from low-income households, helping to ensure that cost is not a barrier to accessing higher education.

The grants will support students on priority courses aligned with the government’s missions and the industrial strategy at Levels 4 to 6 under the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, including technical qualifications and degrees.

This will maintain a competitive offer for international students while ensuring the benefits are shared more visibly at home, directly benefiting disadvantaged domestic students.  The international student levy will apply to England only.

Targeted maintenance grants for students from low-income households studying on priority courses will be reintroduced by the end of the Parliament. Further details on both targeted maintenance grants and the international students levy will be set out at the Autumn Budget.

Further plans for higher education reform will be announced soon, as part of the Post 16 Education and Skills White Paper.