More students to be eligible for university maintenance grants

Saturday 02 November 2024

More students will be eligible for Government grants to help cover the cost of university fees and living expenses from next year, the Education Minister has announced.

The move, which aims to increase access to higher education support, was announced by Deputy Rob Ward on social media earlier this week and would raise the income threshold that decides which families can access support by 5.2%.

The change is dependent on the Government’s spending plans being approved next month.

The adjustments, which are based on updated income data for Jersey, means more students will qualify for help with tuition fees and costs like accommodation, food and books.

Earlier this week, I signed a Ministerial Decision to make some key changes to the support available for Higher Education students. The changes align with my commitment in the Common Strategic Policy to ‘implement sustainable Higher Education Student Finance’. 1 of 2 pic.twitter.com/dE8yHK4lbB

— ????Deputy Rob Ward (Reform Jersey)???? (@deputyrobward) October 30, 2024

Under the current system, students from households earning under £50,000 can get between £8,331 and £8,915 per year for living costs, plus £9,250 for tuition fees.

The maintenance grant amount decreases as household income rises, with no maintenance support for households earning £90,000 or more, while students from households with an income above £200,000 or assets over £500,000 cannot get any financial support.

Disabled students and those studying in clinical fields such as medicine, veterinary, dentistry or nursing can also get extra funding as part of this scheme.

Deputy Ward also confirmed that students who are studying remotely will be eligible for the same maximum grant as those attending campus-based programmes, under the proposed changes.

The maximum grant for distance learning currently is £7,400 but the proposed changes will mean someone studying distance learning full time could be eligible for up to £9,250 tuition fee grant and £8,915 maintenance grant if they meet the eligibility criteria for the maximum grant amount. This is essentially more than double what is available now.

If approved, the maintenance grant for living costs will be introduced, which acknowledges that time spent studying is time that can't be spent working and earning, regardless of the mode of study.