Youth Services in the UK
An overview of youth services; the statutory duties and policy in different parts of the UK as well as a summary of some of research into the impacts of youth work.

How have student maintenance support levels changed over time? What support are students eligible for this and next academic year, is it enough and how much are their parents meant to contribute?
The value of student maintenance support (435 KB , PDF)
Maintenance grants, maintenance loan levels and income thresholds were all frozen at 2009/10 levels in 2010/11 and 2011/12.
2012/13 saw full grant levels for new students from England increased by 12%, maximum loan levels by 11%; changes to income thresholds and fee loans were extended to part-time students.
The full grant increased by 3.2% in 2013/14; 1% in 2014/15 and was frozen in 2015/16. Maximum loans amounts were frozen in 2013/14, increased by 1% in 2014/15 and 3.3% in 2015/16. Income thresholds were frozen in 2012/13, 2014/15 and 2015/16.
Maintenance grants ended for new students in 2016/17. New students received all their maintenance support as loans. At the same time the maximum value of support was increased by around 10% to £8,200 in 2016/17 (from its 2015/16 level of just over £7,400).
The maximum value of support increased slightly in real terms over the following five years before substantial falls in 2022/23 and 2023/24.
The household income level at which a student qualifies for the maximum level of support has remained unchanged in cash terms since 2008 at £25,000. This means it has fallen in real terms by 40%, making students from lower real household income levels less likely to be eligible fort full loans.
Sources: see accompanying spreadsheet
It is only students from the poorest households who qualify for the maximum level of maintenance support, so they face the greatest impact of any changes in the overall amount available.
While the maximum value of support increased up to 2021/22 in real terms there was still concern that it was not enough to cover student living costs, particularly due to increases in the cost of accommodation. The real cuts in 2022/23, 2023/24 made it more likely that students would not be able to cover their living costs without additional financial help.
The real level of household income level at which support starts to be reduced has fallen over time. This means that the maximum support package is only available at lower real household income levels. It also means that in higher income households parents of dependent students need to make larger contributions to bring support levels up to the maximum. Parental contributions are not made explicit in student finance material and there is a fear that this means that some students do not receive the support they need.
The independent Augar Report made a number of recommendations on maintenance support to a Government review of post-18 education and funding. These included bringing back maintenance grants of at least £3,000 for disadvantaged students. The Government’s review did not accept the Augar report recommendation and made no changes to the student maintenance system.
The briefing paper Student support for undergraduates across the UK outlines the student support systems for undergraduate higher education students in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. It sets out the amount of funding that students may receive and references recent debates and developments in HE funding across the UK.
This paper looks at the value of the support for student maintenance over time and its impact on public expenditure. Some of these older statistics refer to England and Wales, although devolution of student finance means that figures from 2006/07 cover England only.
The following Library publications give more information about changes in this sector:
The insight Student finance in England: How much would it cost to bring back grants? Looks at the hypothetical effect of reintroducing a means-tested grant for undergraduates, of up to £3,000 a year.
The aim of this paperis to look at trends in the level of support for maintenance, not specific eligibility criteria or additional grants/allowances for different groups of students. Details of these for students from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can be found at:
More detail on loan and grant levels, income thresholds and variations by where the student lives, studies etc. can be viewed on the Student Loans Company’s website.
The value of student maintenance support (435 KB , PDF)
An overview of youth services; the statutory duties and policy in different parts of the UK as well as a summary of some of research into the impacts of youth work.
Information on the support available for help with childcare costs in England.
Autistic people experience education inequalities. Find out about government policy and support in schools, colleges and higher education for autistic people.