MillionPlus has today (10 October) published new analysis on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on higher education students and identifies those students that will be most gravely affected.
The report, ‘Learning with the lights off: students and the cost-of-living crisis’ also explores some of the vital measures that MillionPlus institutions have introduced over the summer to try and mitigate its worst effects. However, the report also recognises that this is a national issue and beyond individual universities means to solve. The report therefore proposes key recommendations for the UK Government, the Office for Students and the Student Awards Agency Scotland including:
- An immediate increase to maintenance funding for students, ideally in the shape of maintenance grants, though maintenance loan increases would bring welcome relief in the short-term
- An immediate increase in hardship funds for universities to be targeted at students most in need
- The better inclusion of students in the wider cost of living assistance programmes announced in September 2022
- Implementing enforcement measures to ensure energy discount payments are passed on to tenants where fixed energy costs are included in their rental charges
