Response to Government announcement on maintenance grants

The British Academy has responded to the government’s announcement that maintenance grants will be reintroduced for certain courses, funded through a levy on international student fees.

The Academy welcomes efforts to reduce the financial pressures students face, but strongly opposes the introduction of a levy on international students. Linking student support to international student recruitment is risky and unsustainable. Tying maintenance to an income stream which is already overworked, cross subsidising the teaching and research activities across the sector, risks further weakening universities at a time when many are already cutting courses and struggling to cover basic costs.

Nor will this policy tackle the wider pressures facing higher education. Universities are already reducing courses, particularly in the social sciences, humanities and arts. Our recent report ‘Cold spots: Mapping inequality in SHAPE provision in UK higher education’ highlights how these gaps in provision of SHAPE subjects are growing, leaving thousands of students across the country without access to courses in their region.

Tying student support to a list of priority subjects risks exacerbating this inequality, reducing opportunity for young people. We are clear that SHAPE subjects are vital for the economic and social prosperity of the country. They drive priority sectors in the industrial strategy and are the foundation of our public services. Any changes to student support must be based on this evidence.

President of the British Academy, Professor Susan J Smith, said: “We strongly urge the Government to withdraw the proposal of a levy on international student fees. It risks deepening the funding crisis impacting universities across the UK and may further entrench educational inequalities. We continue to call for the Government to conduct an urgent review of higher education funding in order to develop a sustainable model that delivers a wide breadth of subjects for students from all backgrounds and reduces the financial pressures students face.”