- Nearly two thirds (64%) support reintroduction of maintenance grants for poorest students – but support for prioritising students for additional financial support is low.
- 71% believe the cost of living crisis will deter people from going to university over the next two years – but only 26% think that fewer people should be going to university
New polling from the UPP Foundation and Higher Education Policy Institute found strong support for maintenance grants, with two thirds of respondents agreeing that maintenance grants should be introduced more systematically for poorer students.
In a poll of 2000 people, 71% of respondents believed the cost of living and economic crisis will deter people from going to university in the next few years, and 57% agree that the Government should provide additional support to students to help them with the cost of living. But despite this, only 10% of respondents put students among the top 3 groups they would prioritise for support with the cost of living (compared to 57% for those on minimum wage, 47% for pensioners and 42% for families with young children). By contrast, 63% believe that ‘students should expect to work part time to cover their living costs while at university.’
