Vice-chancellors have called for maintenance grants to be brought back for undergraduates in England, warning that otherwise there will be a “significant” impact on student health and wellbeing as well as their education.
Steve West, vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England, told the Universities UK annual conference in Leicester that the new government “needs to face up to the cost of living crisis now faced by students and staff. It is hitting them hard”.
West, the UUK president, said the maximum maintenance loan available to students in England this year would be £1,000 less than a job paying the national minimum wage – the biggest gap between the two since 2004 – putting higher education further out of reach for those from deprived backgrounds.
