- Chancellor set to announce all care leavers will be
guaranteed full student loan support
- Only 14% of young people who leave care go to university, and
they are much more likely to drop out than other students
- Change delivers on government commitment to break down
barriers to opportunity
All care leavers will become automatically eligible for full
student loan support, the Chancellor is expected to announce at
budget next week, in a move that levels the playing field for
those who have had the toughest starts in life.
The reform removes one of the biggest barriers to education and
opportunity faced by those leaving care and will entitle them to
the maximum maintenance loan - worth up to £13,500.
Only 14% of young people who leave care go to university,
compared to 50% of the wider population and they are much more
likely to drop out – often due to financial barriers.
Under the current system, automatic entitlement to the maximum
student support for care leavers is restricted to those on the
lowest incomes, under 25, and without a partner.
Following the Chancellor's expected changes to make the system
fairer, all 2000 care leavers who go on to higher education each
year will get the maximum loan for living costs, irrespective of
their personal circumstances.
This comes as the Chancellor is set to deliver a Budget that
makes the fair choices to deliver on the country's priorities to
cut NHS waiting lists, cut national debt and cut the cost of
living.
This new support follows the government's commitment to ensure
disadvantaged students are no longer priced out of university, as
outlined in the recent Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.
The reforms are central to the government's mission to break down
barriers to opportunity, ensuring, that everyone, regardless of
their background, has the best chance to get on in life.
An HM Treasury source said:
No one should be priced out of education. This government
believes everyone deserves the same chance to get on in life
regardless of their background, which is why we are fixing this
unfairness so those who have had the toughest starts get the
support they need to succeed.
Fiona Ellison, Director of the Unite Foundation,
said:
This commitment is a vital step towards removing financial
barriers for care leavers. Guaranteeing full student loan support
for all care leavers sends a powerful message that higher
education is for everyone, and it gives young people who've faced
the toughest starts in life real hope for their future.
