Gaining a degree is a key marker of success and social mobility, yet the cost of living crisis means that access to university is far from universal.
According to statistics from the Student Loans Company, the number of students dropping out of their courses is at the highest level since its figures were first recorded. A record 41,914 undergraduate students quit in the year to August 2023, equivalent to one in 37 of the student population and a drop-out rate leap of 28 per cent in only five years.
Further research from the Higher Education Policy Unit reveals that seven in ten students have considered leaving higher education since starting their degree, with two fifths citing rising living costs.
With the average combined cost of
