Cost of living | Your Ideas

Currently the Leeds Beckett Hardship Fund Guidance states the following: ‘As per HESFG para. 4.45 we apply an ‘assumed income’ figure in all standard assessments.’ The HESFG para 4.44 states: ‘It is expected that students will be able to supplement their income from a variety of routes, for example, part-time work, vacation work, bank overdrafts, savings or additional parental/family support where appropriate.’ There is an assumed parental contribution from parents, dependent upon the household income and in addition to this, there is an assumed income in general, with a figure attached to this. This figure (as shown in the HESFG para 8.6) is £2,216 in the South East of England, for example.

A student whose household income was assessed to be £50,000 would have their maintenance loan reduced by £915 per year, therefore an assumption that their parents contribute this amount. In addition to this, an assumed income figure would be used eg £2,216 meaning that they would have a total assumed income of £2,216 + £915 = £3,131. A student in level 4 would be assessed as having 100% of this assumed income, a student in the final year would be assessed as having 33% of this and a student in the penultimate year would be assumed as receiving 66% of this amount. The student may not have been receiving any contributions from their parents (because the latter are not able to pay due to increased living costs). An assumed income figure is currently used to enable students to earn more than this figure and keep (and therefore benefit from) surplus earnings. In the current cost of living crisis, students are required to work more in order to pay for necessities. This has an adverse impact on their studies.

Students should be able to declare actual parental contributions (rather than assumed). If they are not receiving any parental contributions, these students are already receiving less student finance than students receiving full student maintenance loans. The Assumed income should be disregarded in light of the cost of living crisis. Any earnings from employment can then be used to improve a student’s life at University, rather than pay for necessities.

Students in need of financial support from the Hardship Fund are not denied access to Hardship Fund payments because of an assumption that they receive income that they do not. Students in financial need are able to access support fairly.