Higher education

This chart compares the trends in public spending per student on various stages of education over time in England. 

The lowest-earning 10% of graduates repay around 1.1% of their lifetime earnings, while the highest-earning 10% of graduates repay around 1.2%.

Under the new system, student loans will become cheaper for high-earning graduates and more expensive for those with lower earnings.

The launch of 2024/25 IFS Annual Report on Education Spending in England, funded by the Nuffield Foundation

This annual report contains our latest estimates of spending per pupil and resource challenges across different stages of education in England.

Falls in funding for home students, a decline in international enrolments and higher labour costs put Scottish university finances under pressure.

We respond to government plans to increase the cap on tuition fees for England-domiciled undergraduate students.

IFS Associate Director Christine Farquharson explains.

This calculator produces rough estimates of the costs and distributional consequences of reforms to the higher education funding system in Scotland.