Set up all students for success with an adequate maintenance package

Students need to be equipped with the financial support necessary to succeed at university. We call on the government to ensure the student maintenance package, which has been eroded by inflation, better supports the costs of being a student. 

We will work with universities to communicate available financial support to eligible students more transparently, so they can both apply with confidence and know what might be available to them once they've started their course.   

Case studies

City St George’s – City Cares 

City Cares is City St George’s, University of London’s support programme for students who are care-experienced, young adult carers, and estranged students. City St George’s recognises that care-experienced students do not have the same sources of financial support as others, and steps in with the offer of bursaries and a wide range of services to support these students, including financial assistance, pastoral support and accommodation advice.  

City Cares is an effective programme that supports both student retention and success, with supported students seeing strong continuation rates (90.7% in 2023/24 compared to 91.1% for the whole university) and stronger attainment of good honours (higher than the rest of the university at 84.6% compared to 75.1%). 

University of Hertfordshire - Digital Divide

Access to technology is essential for student success, yet for many incoming students to higher education, the cost of a reliable laptop is a significant barrier to fully engaging with their studies. Recognising this challenge, the University of Hertfordshire launched the Laptop Project, providing free laptops to incoming students from underrepresented backgrounds.

The project was designed to remove financial barriers to digital access, enable full participation in online and in-person learning and support students in their transition to university life. With two phases, the university wanted to ensure students were supported at the earliest possible stage:

1. Proactive pre-arrival support: for priority groups (care leavers, independent estranged students, young adult carers and displaced refugee learners), the university sends out communications throughout the summer, encouraging applications to the scheme to ensure students didn’t have to take on unnecessary financial strain before starting university.
2. In-term identification for support: through check-in calls with level 4 students in receipt of our low-income bursary, the university identified students who had begun their studies who were now struggling due to an unsuitable or lack of a personal device.  

Royal College of Art - RCA BLK

RCA BLK is the Royal College of Art’s (RCA) association of Black students, alumni and friends, improving access and supporting contemporary artists who identify as Black or of African heritage within the RCA community. 

Having started as a grassroots community group in 2020, RCA BLK has been supported by RCA with funding and resources for staff and events since 2022. The association is uniquely placed to advocate from direct experience and make incremental changes from within the institution. Loneliness, isolation and inadequate support were key issues faced by Black students at the RCA. Economic factors and the lack of visibility of Black artists and designers were barriers to students joining RCA, leading to a student body that didn't represent London's diversity. To address these systemic issues and build on conversations started by RCA BLK, the RCA established the Sir Frank Bowling Scholarship and supported RCA BLK with community building initiatives.

The RCA provides £1 million a year towards the Sir Frank Bowling Scholarship to support UK students from Black African and Caribbean diaspora heritage or mixed Black African and Caribbean diaspora heritage, with tuition fees and living expenses; this sits alongside a growing number of other scholarships. Over the last three years, Sir Frank Bowling Scholarships have supported 78 students, increasing the diversity of the student body and strengthening the sense of belonging for Black students.

RCA BLK also provides networking events, mentorship and drop-in sessions for students. More recently, RCA has also appointed a Black qualified counsellor to support students following conversations started by RCA BLK in 2022. 

The Open University - MSE’s Academy of Money

The Open University (OU) has joined forces with MoneySavingExpert (MSE) to produce a new free course to give students the skills and knowledge to master their finances. The course was written by the OU, with MSE providing support and guidance. 

The current cost-of-living crisis arising from the surge in energy prices and exacerbated by the rising cost of other essentials has made it even more important for students to understand and manage personal finances. The course focuses on a variety of different financial areas, including budgeting, investing, borrowing, saving and pensions. 

This course is accredited by the CPD Standards Office. It can be used to provide evidence of a student's continuing professional development, and on successful completion of the course, they will be awarded 12 Continuing Professional Development points.