Higher education

Due to inflation forecast errors alone, students from the poorest families will lose £100 per month in maintenance support.

We consider who would be affected by each of the proposed MERs, and then assess whether the introduction of a minimum eligibility requirement is likely to achieve the government’s stated aim of ensuring that ‘students undertaking degree study have attained the baseline skills required to engage with and benefit from the course’.

We investigate variation in early-career earnings by degree class outcome using the Depart­ment for Education’s Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset.

At the end of February, the government announced the most significant reform to the student loans system in England since at least 2012.

Last week’s proposals on university funding are a rational response to the student loans system but 'they are also highly regressive, hitting low earners and benefiting high earners.'

Using inflation as a cover, the government is cutting maintenance loans, increasing student loan repayments and lowering maximum tuition fees.