The number of estranged students and care leavers receiving university loans across much of the UK has fallen in the past year, early figures suggest.
Provisional data show that 9,141 estranged students and 3,430 care leavers from England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been recorded by the Student Loans Company (SLC) for the 2023-24 academic year.
This total of 12,571 was down 12 per cent from the peak of 14,357 in the SLC figures the year before. It was the first time the number, which includes students under the age of 25, has fallen since these statistics began in 2017-18.
The SLC said its figures, which do not include Scottish students, are provisional and might rise throughout the year.
