Families are borrowing money, remortgaging homes and dipping into pensions to cover university costs, a student support group has warned as it calls for an overhaul of Jersey’s funding system.
The Jersey Student Loan Support Group says financial pressures risk limiting young Islanders’ degree choices according to their parents’ bank balances rather than their academic ability.
In a submission to the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel’s review of the proposed Budget 2027–2030, the group reported that 46.7% of respondents to its ongoing higher-education funding survey had taken on extra work to meet shortfalls.
Almost a third – 32.7% – had borrowed money or remortgaged their homes, while 26.2% were drawing on pensions.
The submission also cited freedom-of-information figures showing that 496 of the 1,025 undergraduate students funded in 2025/26 received help with tuition fees only, leaving nearly half without government support for living costs.
Jersey has no public student-loan scheme, meaning families must find other ways to bridge the gap between means-tested grants and university expenses.
The group welcomed the Education Minister’s recognition of the need for annual grant adjustments, but argued that these would not repair shortfalls caused by previous years without inflation increases.
It said 78.6% of survey respondents considered the recent 3.4% grant increase insufficient to meet the costs of studying away.
A particular concern is the proposed difference between maximum maintenance grants for students studying locally and off-Island in 2027/28: £9,140 compared with £9,780.
The group argued that the £640 gap failed to reflect additional accommodation, utility and travel costs.
“It turns a state support mechanism into an unfair tier system, where a student’s career options and lifelong horizons are dictated by their family’s balance sheet rather than their academic talent and hard work,” the submission said.
The group also highlighted the pressure on parents supporting two children at university simultaneously, calling for an adjustment to household-income assessments.
Its recommendations include raising the income threshold at which grants begin to reduce, reviewing travel and other allowances, expanding postgraduate support and removing income barriers to specialist equipment for disabled students.
It also wants a government-backed rental guarantor scheme, help with placement expenses and an independent Jersey Student Union.
The group called for Scrutiny to lead a review involving students and parents to develop a fairer funding model.
