AQW 47047/22-27
Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down
Tabled Date: 26/05/2026
Answered On Date: 01/06/2026
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any assessment that has been made of the NUS-USI Cost of Living Report 2026.
Answer:
The National Union of Students and Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI) Cost of Living 2026 Report highlights very real challenges faced by students in the current economic climate. Notwithstanding the extremely challenging financial position facing my Department, I am determined to ensure that participation in further and higher education remains as affordable as possible. My Department provides a broad package of support intended to ease costs of participation in higher education for those who need it most, including maintenance grants and loans; Special Support Grants available to students eligible to claim means-tested benefits such as Housing Benefit or Universal Credit whilst studying; targeted help for students with dependants; and the Disabled Students’ Allowance. My Department also makes Student Support Funds (also known as Hardship Funds) available, which are administered by the five local Higher Education Institutions and intended to assist students experiencing financial difficulty with meeting costs associated with learning. Since publication of the NUS-USI Cost of Living Report 2024, my Department has increased the maximum higher education maintenance loan by 20%, with a further inflationary increase in both maximum maintenance loans and grants pending for the 2026/27 academic year. I have also increased the maximum Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan by 54%, to £10,000, for the coming year, reducing financial pressures associated with such study. My Department recognises that learners in the further education sector may be similarly impacted by cost of living pressures as highlighted in the NUS-USI report. While support arrangements differ from higher education, a range of measures are also in place to support participation and retention in further education. Further education colleges administer discretionary support funds to assist students facing financial hardship, including support with travel, meals, childcare and essential course costs. In addition, eligible learners may access Education Maintenance Allowance and Free School Meals (where criteria are met), alongside targeted support for those with additional needs. My officials continue to engage with the further education colleges on emerging student support pressures, including demand for hardship support, to ensure that available funding is targeted effectively at those most in need and to inform ongoing consideration of support arrangements within the constraints of the current budget.
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