- A new report from the National Union of Students finds most parents contribute over £200 a month towards their child’s university living expenses. And 1 in 10 are contributing over £1000 a month.
- Parental income thresholds, the method used to determine how much loan a student receives, have been frozen since 2008.
- NUS: “this is the price of ambition in 2026 – and we need something to change”
A new report from the National Union of Students (NUS) finds a stark financial reality for parents of a child going to university. Most parents are contributing over £200 a month towards their child’s university living expenses. And 1 in 10 are contributing over £1000 a month. NUS say that urgent Government action is needed to ensure university remains accessible and affordable for all.
The research, based on polling by Survation, found that:
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The majority of parents (56%) are giving their child over £200 a month during term time
- 36% pay rent directly to their child’s landlord
- 36% buy food directly for their child
- For 84% of families this is having an impact on their finances
- 11% of parents were not aware that they would need to financially support their child through university
- 48% of parents expect their child to work while at university
Student maintenance loans are determined by parental income. But with parental income thresholds having remained frozen since 2008, NUS say that parents are having to step in to pick up the shortfall. The NUS are calling for the parental income thresholds to be adjusted to reflect inflation. Students only receive the maximum loan if their parents’ income is below £25,000, the same threshold as 2008. A House of Commons Library report found that the real value of the income threshold for the maximum maintenance loan has fallen by 40% in real terms since 2008.
NUS say students are experiencing the cost of living crisis like everyone else. In an NUS 2024 report on the cost of living, 93% of students were found to have cut back costs to save money. While socialising, clothes and holidays were cut back by the majority, over 50% had cut back on food, 41% on healthcare, and 11% on sanitary products.
The Government website implies that the full maintenance loan amount is enough to cover all living costs. However, NUS point out that it is over £9,000 below an annual salary on the national living wage.
Alex Stanley, National Union of Students Vice President Higher Education said:
“The notion of students not having much money is nothing new but, considering the alarming levels of debt facing those studying, a maintenance system that works should not be too much to expect. But decades of neglect mean that isn’t the case.
“Each year, I speak to thousands of university students. I know they can barely make rent. They are accessing food banks. Reliance is greater than ever on university bursaries and financial support at a time where the sector is facing real-terms funding cuts. This research looks at the other side of that coin – the parents expected to fill in the gaps, regardless of their own income.
“With the thresholds being frozen, the Government have stealthily increased the burden on the bank of Mum and Dad. At a time of rising costs of everyone, a student going to university will be having a negative financial ripple affect across their family. This is the price of ambition in 2026 – and we need something to change.
“Our recommendations are clear – the Government and the Student Loans Company must bring in reforms. Parental income thresholds, which determine how much maintenance grant a student can receive, have been frozen since 2008. Without change, the view of higher education as a tool for expanding opportunity feels more and more tokenistic.”
