A stark new survey has laid bare the extent to which parents are bankrolling their children's university lives, with more than half now providing at least £200 every month to cover soaring living expenses.
The Heavy Burden on Family Finances
The research, commissioned by the National Union of Students (NUS) and conducted by Survation, polled 1,012 parents. It found that a staggering 86 per cent are giving financial support to their university-aged children. For one in ten families, this monthly contribution exceeds £1,000.
Parents are not just handing over cash; they are directly paying bills. Over a third (36 per cent) reported paying rent straight to their child's landlord or buying groceries for them. This comes as the average monthly student rent has hit £562.67, according to NatWest's 2025 Student Living Index.
A Broken Maintenance System
The survey highlights a systemic failure in student funding. Alex Stanley, NUS vice president for higher education, stated: 'The notion of students not having much money is nothing new but, considering the alarming levels of debt... a maintenance system that works should not be too much to expect. But decades of neglect mean that isn't the case.'
He added that parents are expected to fill the gaps 'regardless of their own income'. The NUS is now urging the government to reform the outdated household income thresholds that dictate maintenance loan amounts. Currently, students only qualify for the maximum loan if their family earns less than £25,000—a figure frozen since 2008.
A House of Commons Library report confirmed that while the maximum loan value rose slightly from 2016/17, it then fell substantially in real terms in both 2022/23 and 2023/24. For the 2025/26 academic year, the maximum maintenance loan for a student living away from home outside London is £10,544. This means a student receiving the maximum could spend over half of it on rent alone.
Consequences: Living at Home and Part-Time Work
The financial pressure is fundamentally changing the student experience. A record number of students starting university this year plan to live at home, with those from poorer backgrounds particularly affected. Nearly half (48 per cent) of parents expect their child to work a part-time job while studying.
Think tank the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) warned last year that students need up to £56,000 to get through university even after taking out loans. For a family supporting three children through degrees, this could mean finding up to £168,000. While tuition fee loans cover course costs, maintenance loans may cover as little as a quarter of actual living expenses.
Campaign group Save the Student warned in 2025 that UK students are trapped in a 'never-ending cost-of-living crisis', routinely facing shortfalls. The government has announced a reintroduction of maintenance grants for some subjects, but not until 2028/29, offering little immediate relief to struggling families today.
