Replacing maintenance grants with loans for new full-time students in 2016/17 will ensure the higher education system remains financially sustainable whilst enabling the sector to make progress in widening participation amongst those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Government will continue to monitor and evaluate a wide range of data and evidence relating to the Higher Education sector. This will include data on application and participation rates from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), as well as take-up and repayment rates of student financial support using Student Loans Company (SLC) data.

Area reviews of post-16 education are focused on meeting the needs of learners in each area, and because they are overseen by steering groups including Chairs and Principals of colleges as well as local authorities, they are well placed to do this. The steering group’s discussions and recommendations are based on the best available evidence, including an analysis of local economic and educational needs and the mapping of current curriculum provision and travel to learn patterns. Recommendations made by the steering group, including mergers, should improve access to better quality teaching delivered by sustainable institutions focused on meeting learner need.

Local authorities are members of area review steering groups and have statutory responsibility for transport to education and training for 16- to 19-year-olds. We expect local authorities to make reasonable decisions about the support they offer based on the needs of their young people, local transport infrastructure and the resources they have available. Authorities will need to take account of the recommendations arising from each area review and the impact on transport for learners. We will reflect this in the next version of the post-16 transport statutory guidance which we plan to update in the autumn.

Most young people already have access to some kind of discount or concession on bus or train travel, either from their local authority, local transport providers, or from their school or college, and we would expect this to continue following any changes to post-16 provision as a result of area reviews. The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund will continue to be available to support those young people who most need it, with the costs of attending post-16 education or training such as transport and meals.

The November 2015 Higher Education Green Paper (Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice) confirms the Government’s intention to introduce, for the first time, a new system of alternative student finance. Subject to Parliament, the Government plans to introduce the system through new primary legislation.

The November 2015 Higher Education Green Paper (Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice) confirms the Government’s intention to introduce, for the first time, a new system of alternative student finance. Work on the new system is ongoing, and includes careful consideration of where and how alternative student finance can deliver the most benefit for students. Subject to Parliament, the Government plans to introduce the system through new primary legislation.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student loans for each of the UK Government Administrations. Statistics covering English loans to EU domiciled borrowers are published annually by SLC in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’.

http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/england.aspx

Information on the repayment statuses of EU domiciled borrowers, who are liable for repayment, can be found in table 3B of the SFR.

The SLC has established repayment arrangements for borrowers who move overseas and will pursue those who do not repay what is due.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student loans for each of the UK Government Administrations. Statistics covering English loans to EU domiciled borrowers are published annually by SLC in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’.

http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/england.aspx

Information on the repayment statuses of EU domiciled borrowers, who are liable for repayment, can be found in table 3B of the SFR.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student loans for each of the UK Government Administrations. Statistics covering English loans to EU domiciled borrowers are published annually by SLC in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’.

http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/england.aspx

Information on the repayment statuses of EU domiciled borrowers, who are liable for repayment, can be found in table 3B of the SFR. Information on the balances of those loans are not available in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

SLC has arrangements in place to collect repayments from borrowers who move away from the UK; SLC establishes a 12 month repayment schedule based on the borrower’s income and provides information on the methods of repayment available.

SLC sets up fixed repayment schedules for borrowers who do not remain in contact and will place those borrowers in arrears, further action, including legal action, can then be taken to secure recovery. European Commission regulations allow the SLC to obtain judgments in UK courts, which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student loans for each of the UK Government Administrations. Statistics covering English loans to EU domiciled borrowers are published annually by SLC in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’.

http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/england.aspx

Data provided by SLC shows that there were a total of 21,600 EU domiciled borrowers who had not yet made a repayment, of those who are liable to repay, with at least one tax year processed at the end of the financial year 2014-15. The balance remaining on these loans was £154 million.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) has arrangements in place to collect repayments from borrowers who move away from the UK. SLC establishes a 12 month repayment schedule based on the borrower’s income and provides information on the methods of repayment available.

SLC sets up fixed repayment schedules for borrowers who do not remain in contact and will place those borrowers in arrears. Further action, including legal action, can then be taken to secure recovery. EC regulations allow the SLC to obtain judgments in UK courts, which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries.

The Department published a Joint Repayment Strategy in February 2016, which sets out how action will be taken to trace borrowers and act to recover loans where avoidance or evasion is identified. This publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-loan-repayment-strategy

Requirements on Alternative Providers designated for student support are set out in “Specific Course Designation for Alternative Providers of Higher Education - Guidance for Providers: Criteria and Conditions and Annual Re-Designation” on gov.uk. Revised guidance detailing requirements for the 2016/17 academic year will be published in the summer.

Measures introduced to address the issues raised by the National Audit Office were set out in a Written Ministerial Statement (29th January 2015) available at:

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-vote-office/January%202015/29%20January/1.BIS-Higher-Ed.pdf. The measures that are listed as ‘subject to consultation’ have now been implemented in full.

Further measures were introduced for the 2015/16 academic year. Student number controls can now be used to limit recruitment at providers with unsatisfactory student completion rates or those deemed to be providing a poorer service than expected. Providers are required to give government better information about their provision to students, for example performance information including their drop-out and success rates. All providers are required to submit data on their students’ background and achievements to the Higher Education Statistics Agency. The Government has also formalised the right to access alternative providers’ premises and records.

The Student Loans Company has introduced further checks requiring proof of residence to check student eligibility for support.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills also validates different information sources against each other to check coverage, for unusual results and to monitor any discrepancies between reporting bodies.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student loans for each of the UK Government Administrations. Statistics covering the repayments of these loans are published annually by SLC separately for each UK Government Administration as part of the Student loans, debt and repayment Statistical First Releases (SFRs)::

http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspx

Information on the repayment statuses of home and EU domiciled borrowers, who have been liable to repay, by cohort, can be found in tables 3A and 3B of the SFRs.

At the beginning of the financial year 2015-16, there were 2.97 million borrowers of loans through the English student finance system, who have been liable to repay, and had at least one full tax year processed. Of these, 33,400 (1%) still had their repayment status to be confirmed, 13,500 (less than 1%) had defaulted on their repayments, and 9,200 (less than 1%) had not supplied their income and so been placed in arrears.

Of the 2.97 million borrowers, 39,100 were domiciled in the EU prior to study. Of these, 3,300 (8%) still had their repayment status to be confirmed, 1,400 (3%) had defaulted on their repayments, and 5,000 (13%) had not supplied their income and so been placed in arrears.

The Government is committed to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. The Government has announced a series of measures which will help people become homeowners, including plans to deliver 200,000 Starter Homes, 135,000 Shared Ownership homes and the Help to Buy: ISA, through which the Government tops up mortgage deposit savings for first time buyers by up to £3,000. The Government has also announced the creation of the Lifetime ISA, which will help young people save flexibly towards a first home and retirement at the same time.

The Council for Mortgage Lenders advise that a student loan is very unlikely to materially impact on an individual’s ability to get a mortgage.

This is because it is only repayable when a borrower’s income is over £21,000.

The Government is clear that there is absolutely no place in higher education or anywhere else in society for bigotry, hatred or any form of racism such as anti-Semitism.

Recent reports of anti-Semitism are extremely concerning and must be met with a decisive response. We expect all bodies with a role in English higher education to be absolutely clear in their opposition to racism in all its forms, and to have robust policies in place to tackle such hatred and support victims.

At the Government’s request, Universities UK has set up a taskforce to examine what more can be done to tackle harassment and hate crime on campus, including anti-Semitism.

From 2016/17, the average student loan outlay for each additional student eligible for student finance is estimated to be between £15,000 and £17,000 depending on the household income of the students. Students could also be eligible for an average of £300 of support for allowances such as the Disabled Students Allowance. An additional 2,400 students, as estimated, could lead to around £40m in loan outlay and £0.7m in allowances annually. In RAB terms, the annual costs for 2,400 students could be £10m.

We estimated at the time of proposing the changes that they could lead to an additional 2,400 claims for student support in the first year after the changes take effect. This estimate was derived from information on those people who had non-asylum discretionary leave to remain and had applied for student support. However, we do not have information on the length of time these individuals have been in the UK or their age. It is therefore not possible to determine exactly how many of these individuals would meet the criteria in the new rules.