More for London students and care leavers in student funding overhaul

Thursday 30 March 2023

Increases in higher education funding for those studying in London and for care leavers have been announced by the Children's and Education Minister.

The changes follow feedback from parents and a leading pressure group seeking a more sustainable system that took account of the situations of individual students.

Deputy Gardiner said the changes were a response to the increased cost of living, and the additional pressures this is placing on students and families, leading to all students receiving either the same level of maintenance grant or – in many cases – more funding.

The 10% 'London weighting' is intended to reflect the higher cost of living in London, and is in line with student finance provision made by England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Care leavers studying for a higher education qualification will see an increase in the available bursary from £3,000 to £3,429, while those studying for further education qualifications will be eligible for a bursary of £1,029, a rise of £129 on the current figure.

Pictured: Education Minister Inna Gardiner.

Means-tested grants are currently paid according to a banding system for relevant income, but this will be replaced by a sliding scale. The maximum grant of £8,572 – for those with total income of £50,000 or lower – will gradually decrease by approximately £1 of grant for every £6 of income to a minimum figure of £1,715 for those at the upper end of the income scale, which is £89,999.

Deputy Gardiner said: "I continue to speak to parents, students and the Jersey Student Loan Support Group and appreciate the increasing cost of living is a real challenge.

"If we want an Island of highly skilled workers, we need to ensure that all students, no matter their household income, have the option of studying for a degree.

"These changes mean that from September 2023 all students will either receive the same level of grant or, in many cases, receive more."

Deputy Gardiner said the Student Finance team would apply the changes automatically after receiving applications, and urged students and parents to apply in good time.

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