The recently announced increases in international student maintenance requirements are overdue. Although it is clearly not the news many international students will want to hear, it is right that we provide students with an understanding of costs that are closer to reality. The choice to study in London, the world best student city for the sixth year in a row, provides talented individuals from across the globe with the opportunity to unlock their future. The reputation of London universities, its concentration of business, and opportunities for networking help make it the best city in the UK for graduate employability.
The announcement, at the same time, serves as a reminder of the broader issues surrounding current maintenance entitlements. It is unhelpful and misleading to suggest that students, whether domestic or international, can live on £13,347 p/a in the capital, when recent research by Loughborough University and the Higher Education Policy Institute has determined that £21,774 is a more reasonable estimated ‘minimum income standard’ for London students. London Higher supports an increase in maintenance entitlements and a reintroduction of maintenance grants for the poorest students, as set out recently by the Sutton Trust. These proposals will be cost-neutral for the Exchequer if paid for by progressive changes to the loan repayments system and as such warrant serious consideration by the Government as it deliberates future approaches to funding England’s higher education system.
