Often the big picture of tuition fees and student loans mask the detail of how it affects individual students
Percentage of students from lower-income households who have had to cut back on:
Source: Youthsight Research, Jan 2026
£10,830
Maximum value of 2026-27 living costs loan for students living away from home outside of London
Three
...out of ten top (non-London) universities in UK that advise average livings costs at or below this level. Source: www.gov.uk; Top ten - Guardian Best UK Universities 2026; Cost of living figures from official university websites’
£1,350 per year
What you would be repaying under a Plan 5 loan if you earn £40,000 pa and were having to repay Tuition Fees and Maintenance Loans. Source: www.gov.uk
£275
The cost of funding a Reading List Scholarship for a deserving student
£175 billion
Approximate value of Tuition enjoyed for free by pre-tuition fee graduates in England. Source: Internal Reading List Foundation figures based on various external information sources.
£770,000
Approximate annual cost of putting a Scholarship in each state-funded Year 13 in England. Source: Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) figure for Post-16 providers in England