The attached table provides the total value of loans issued, by nationality of recipient, for the 2020/21 to 2024/25 academic years.

Eligibility for student finance is not based on nationality, but on immigration status and residency, ensuring that access to support reflects an individual’s established connection to the UK, rather than their nationality in isolation. To be eligible, a student must ordinarily be a resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course. Some individuals are exempt from these requirements. For example, those with Refugee Status do not have to meet the standard settlement and residency criteria.

The nationality of all borrowers is checked and validated during the application process. Records listed as ‘unknown’ (in a very small number of mainly postgraduate borrower records) reflect legacy data quality issues in this field, which are being addressed by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the department. This is a live management information dataset which is not static, and data can be updated over time as SLC update their records and re-categorise data.

The attached table provides repayment rates for loans due for repayment for the 2020/21 to 2024/25 financial years. The repayment rate was calculated as the percentage of borrowers whose loan has passed its Statutory Repayment Due Date (SRDD, normally the April after the end of the course) and have made a payment in the financial year out of all borrowers whose loan has passed its SRDD. Although borrowers become liable for repayment from the SRDD, repayments are only due where earnings exceed the relevant threshold. Borrowers who remain below this threshold, or experience fluctuating incomes, are not required to make repayments on a continuous basis. Additionally, periods of further study, unemployment, or other life events may reduce earnings below the threshold, resulting in no repayments being collected despite being past the SRDD.

Eligibility for student finance is not based on nationality, but on immigration status and residency, ensuring that access to support reflects an individual’s established connection to the UK, rather than their nationality in isolation. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course. Some individuals are exempt from these requirements. For example, those with Refugee Status do not have to meet the standard settlement and residency criteria.

The nationality of all borrowers is checked and validated during the application process. Records listed as ‘unknown’ (in a very small number of mainly postgraduate borrower records) reflect legacy data quality issues in this field, which are being addressed by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the department. This is a live management information dataset which is not static, and data can be updated over time as SLC update their records and re-categorise data.

The data for the 2020/21 to 2024/25 academic years has previously been published in the attached file.

The department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) have recently strengthened the quality and consistency of their data and now hold robust information on current borrowers’ UK national status and nationality. However, due to GDPR requirements, records are not retained indefinitely. Borrowers whose loans were fully repaid or written off more than six years ago are removed from SLC systems.

As a result, the department does not hold a complete dataset with robust and consistent nationality information over this 20-year time-period. Figures on the number of borrowers by academic year and nationality across the full time series will therefore not fully reflect historical trends in nationality of borrowers.

The data for the 2020/21 to 2024/24 academic years has previously been published in the attached file.

The department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) have recently strengthened the quality and consistency of their data and now hold robust information on current borrowers’ UK national status and nationality. However, due to GDPR requirements, records are not retained indefinitely. Borrowers whose loans were fully repaid or written off more than six years ago are removed from SLC systems.

As a result, the department does not hold a complete dataset with robust and consistent nationality information over this 20-year time-period. Figures on the number of borrowers by academic year and nationality across the full-time series will therefore not fully reflect historical trends in nationality of borrowers.

The Home Office does not publish sponsored study visa data broken down by individual Higher Education Institution. However, published data on sponsored study visas is available in the Home Office’s immigration statistics at: Student sponsor guidance - GOV.UK.

The Home Office does not routinely publish a breakdown of sponsor-compliance decisions by assessment type.

Further information is available in the published Sponsor Guidance and the Sponsor Compliance Visits Guidance on GOV.UK: Sponsorship: guidance for employers and educators - GOV.UK.

The government is capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 student loans at 6%, instead of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) plus 3%, for the 2026/27 academic year. This short term measure will protect students and graduates from the potential of inflationary pressures due to the situation in the Middle East.

Student loan interest rates are ordinarily set for each academic year by reference to the RPI value for the year to the preceding March. On that basis, interest rates for the 2026/27 academic year would normally be determined using the RPI figure for March 2026, which is due to be published on 22 April 2026.

The impact of the interest rate cap on long term repayments for graduates, and on forecast cost impacts for the public purse, will depend on the March RPI value. Costs will be set out at Budget in the usual way.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

I refer the hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston to the answer of 22 April 2026 to Question 124528.

Erasmus+ is open to learners, trainees and staff in higher education, further education, vocational education and training, schools, adult education, youth programmes and sport programmes. The department will have detailed information on the UK’s Erasmus+ beneficiaries after our first year of participation.

We have now concluded negotiations with the European Commission on association to Erasmus+ in 2027. Our commitment covers the 2027/28 academic year.

We will now work closely with institutions and our young people to maximise take-up, particularly among disadvantaged groups. We expect that over 100,000 people could benefit from mobility and partnership opportunities from Erasmus+ participation in 2027-28.

Any participation in Erasmus+ into the next Multiannual Financial Framework will need to be agreed in the future, and be based on a fair and balanced contribution.

The department publishes forecasts annually for higher education and further education student loans in England. The published forecasts include assumptions that fee caps and maintenance loans will increase annually by RPI All Items Index Excl Mortgage Interest (RPIX). These assumptions are agreed with a range of stakeholders, including HM Treasury (HMT), the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and the National Audit Office. These forecasts are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england.

These assumptions in the baseline forecast mean the policy to apply inflationary increases to fee caps and maintenance loans in the 2025/26 academic year is equivalent to the baseline forecast, so there is no additional cost on either public sector net debt or financial liabilities when compared to the published figures, which are included in departmental accounts and provided to HMT.

Any increase to loan amounts, whether on maintenance or fee loans, compared to the baseline would increase public sector net debt (PSND) and public sector net financial liabilities (PSNFL). Student loans affect PSND by changing the government’s cash balance. The change in PSND is calculated as outlay (payments to students and providers) minus repayments. PSNFL includes the portion of student loans expected to be repaid and is calculated as PSND minus the modified loan balance. The annual increase in net debt would be equal to the increased cashflow, so the same as the increase in outlay in the near future.

In the context of student loans, public sector net financial liabilities are most affected in the short term by the proportion of the additional outlay the department forecasts will eventually be written off. As such, the impact of increased loan amounts would be smaller on net financial liabilities than on net debt.

The OBR was created in 2010 to provide independent and authoritative analysis of the UK’s public finances. The OBR’s approach to scrutinising each measure on HMT’s scorecard and incorporating these into its forecast is set out in its ‘Briefing paper No.6: Policy costings and our forecast’, which is available here: https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/27814-BriefingPaperNo_6.pdf.

Inflationary increases to fee caps and maintenance loans are already included in the baseline forecast provided to the OBR, so no policy costing was necessary in this case, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has had no discussions with the OBR on this matter.

The department publishes forecasts annually for higher education and further education student loans in England. The published forecasts include assumptions that fee caps and maintenance loans will increase annually by RPI All Items Index Excl Mortgage Interest (RPIX). These assumptions are agreed with a range of stakeholders, including HM Treasury (HMT), the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and the National Audit Office. These forecasts are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england.

These assumptions in the baseline forecast mean the policy to apply inflationary increases to fee caps and maintenance loans in the 2025/26 academic year is equivalent to the baseline forecast, so there is no additional cost on either public sector net debt or financial liabilities when compared to the published figures, which are included in departmental accounts and provided to HMT.

Any increase to loan amounts, whether on maintenance or fee loans, compared to the baseline would increase public sector net debt (PSND) and public sector net financial liabilities (PSNFL). Student loans affect PSND by changing the government’s cash balance. The change in PSND is calculated as outlay (payments to students and providers) minus repayments. PSNFL includes the portion of student loans expected to be repaid and is calculated as PSND minus the modified loan balance. The annual increase in net debt would be equal to the increased cashflow, so the same as the increase in outlay in the near future.

In the context of student loans, public sector net financial liabilities are most affected in the short term by the proportion of the additional outlay the department forecasts will eventually be written off. As such, the impact of increased loan amounts would be smaller on net financial liabilities than on net debt.

The OBR was created in 2010 to provide independent and authoritative analysis of the UK’s public finances. The OBR’s approach to scrutinising each measure on HMT’s scorecard and incorporating these into its forecast is set out in its ‘Briefing paper No.6: Policy costings and our forecast’, which is available here: https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/27814-BriefingPaperNo_6.pdf.

Inflationary increases to fee caps and maintenance loans are already included in the baseline forecast provided to the OBR, so no policy costing was necessary in this case, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has had no discussions with the OBR on this matter.

The department publishes forecasts annually for higher education and further education student loans in England. The published forecasts include assumptions that fee caps and maintenance loans will increase annually by RPI All Items Index Excl Mortgage Interest (RPIX). These assumptions are agreed with a range of stakeholders, including HM Treasury (HMT), the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and the National Audit Office. These forecasts are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england.

These assumptions in the baseline forecast mean the policy to apply inflationary increases to fee caps and maintenance loans in the 2025/26 academic year is equivalent to the baseline forecast, so there is no additional cost on either public sector net debt or financial liabilities when compared to the published figures, which are included in departmental accounts and provided to HMT.

Any increase to loan amounts, whether on maintenance or fee loans, compared to the baseline would increase public sector net debt (PSND) and public sector net financial liabilities (PSNFL). Student loans affect PSND by changing the government’s cash balance. The change in PSND is calculated as outlay (payments to students and providers) minus repayments. PSNFL includes the portion of student loans expected to be repaid and is calculated as PSND minus the modified loan balance. The annual increase in net debt would be equal to the increased cashflow, so the same as the increase in outlay in the near future.

In the context of student loans, public sector net financial liabilities are most affected in the short term by the proportion of the additional outlay the department forecasts will eventually be written off. As such, the impact of increased loan amounts would be smaller on net financial liabilities than on net debt.

The OBR was created in 2010 to provide independent and authoritative analysis of the UK’s public finances. The OBR’s approach to scrutinising each measure on HMT’s scorecard and incorporating these into its forecast is set out in its ‘Briefing paper No.6: Policy costings and our forecast’, which is available here: https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/27814-BriefingPaperNo_6.pdf.

Inflationary increases to fee caps and maintenance loans are already included in the baseline forecast provided to the OBR, so no policy costing was necessary in this case, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has had no discussions with the OBR on this matter.

Institutions applying to join the Register of Student Sponsors usually receive a decision on their application within 8 weeks. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) are not currently in receipt of such an application from Brooke House College at this time, and there is no decision outstanding in respect of Brooke House College’s sponsor licence status.

The attached table shows the number of borrowers who are liable to repay (i.e. are past their Statutory Repayment Due Date (SRDD) and have an outstanding loan) and of those, how many have ever made a repayment, split by Higher Education Provider (HEP).

The data has been supplied by the Student Loans Company. The data is for England domiciled borrowers who undertook full-time undergraduate courses. Please note the following caveats regarding the data:

• The data is not directly comparable across HEPs due to different course offerings, student numbers, communities served, and demographics of student cohorts. For example, some demographics of graduates may be more likely to take part-time employment, which is less likely to result in earnings over the repayment threshold.
• Borrowers from newer providers, where the majority have only just passed their SRDD, are less likely to have made a repayment as yet.
• The figures represent a snapshot in time and will change as borrowers pass their SRDD and may move into employment.
• Figures less than 11 in the ‘liable to repay’ column and less than 6 in the ‘repaying’ column have been suppressed.
• Where HEPs’ names are duplicated, this can be for a number of reasons, including two different providers having the same name.

The Resource Accounting Budget charge, which is the government subsidy anticipated on student loans issued in any particular financial year, is calculated as the present value of student loan outlay less expected future repayments, in accordance with relevant International Financial Reporting Standards and guidance from HMT’s Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM).

The FReM requires future repayments of student loans to be discounted at the higher of the intrinsic rate of the financial instrument and the real financial instrument discount rate set by HMT, based on analysis of real yields on UK index linked gilts and are specifically appropriate to central government.

The FReM is kept under constant review. It is updated to reflect developments in relevant standards and best practice.