Student finance

This Election Briefing Note provides a summary of the current higher education funding system in England and investigates the two big reform packages that are currently on the table going into the 2019 General Election.

This work estimates how government spending is distributed by subject studied and university attended, based on grants and unrepaid student loans (including both tuition and maintenance loans).

In October, the Prime Minister called for an inquiry into the student loan system for higher education (HE). In this briefing note, we focus on two of the more unpopular features of the current system. We explore government options for reducing the interest rates charged on student loans, from the current levels of RPI + 3% while studying and RPI + 0–3% (depending on income) after leaving university, and for reintroducing living-cost grants – which do not have to be repaid – for students from lower-income families. This briefing note will be submitted as evidence for the inquiry.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the income threshold above which graduates start making repayments on their student loans would be increased from £21,000 to £25,000 for all those who started university after 2012, and that the cap on tuition fees at English universities would be frozen at its current level of £9,250. This briefing note examimnes the impact on graduates, public finances and universities.

Higher Education funding in England: past, present and options for the future

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills launched a public consultation regarding the proposal on 22 July 2015. This short note was submitted to the consultation and extends the work of Briefing Note 174 (Britton, Crawford and Dearden, 2015), analysing the likely implications of the proposed changes for students entering university in 2016-17.

This briefing note analyses the higher education funding reforms announced by the Chancellor in the Summer Budget 2015.

The new report has re-examined the current funding system for undergraduate higher education, highlighting its uncertain public finance implications.

This briefing note looks at the implications of Labour's proposals for higher education funding plans.

This research looks at the impact of changes to financial support for students in higher education

We produce an independent estimate of the long-run cost of providing student loans.

This report updates and extends the previous IFS work to examine the consequences of these changes for graduates.

An in-depth analysis of the new student support arrangements following changes to the HE education finance regime introduced in September 2012.