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Help for poor with tuition fees Help for poor with tuition fees
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More students from poorer families in England and Northern Ireland are to receive full grants for university, the government has said. More students from poorer families in England are to receive full grants for university, the government has said.
Students whose families earn less than £25,000 a year will get a full grant - up from the present level of £18,000.Students whose families earn less than £25,000 a year will get a full grant - up from the present level of £18,000.
The announcement was made in the Commons by the new Secretary of State for Innovations, Universities and Skills, John Denham. Those in families earning up to £60,000 a year will now get some form of maintenance grant.
Students in families earning up to £60,000 a year will now get some help. The Secretary of State for Innovations, Universities and Skills, John Denham, said the changes meant a 'major increase in support to students'.
Students in England and Northern Ireland have been liable for tuition fees of £3,000 a year since last September.Students in England and Northern Ireland have been liable for tuition fees of £3,000 a year since last September.
The fees are not paid up front by the students, but are covered by a student loan which is paid back once a graduate's earnings reach £15,000 a year.The fees are not paid up front by the students, but are covered by a student loan which is paid back once a graduate's earnings reach £15,000 a year.
Hard-working families on modest incomes have concerns about the affordability of university study John Denham, Universities Secretary
Mr Denham also announced that students starting in 2008, once they graduated, would be entitled to a holiday from their repayments of up to five years.Mr Denham also announced that students starting in 2008, once they graduated, would be entitled to a holiday from their repayments of up to five years.
He said the changes would mean that the number of students eligible for a full grant would rise from the present level of 29% to one third.He said the changes would mean that the number of students eligible for a full grant would rise from the present level of 29% to one third.
And two thirds of all students would be entitled to some kind of maintenance grant, up from the present level of half.And two thirds of all students would be entitled to some kind of maintenance grant, up from the present level of half.
"Hard-working families on modest incomes have concerns about the effects of university study," he said. "We are wasting the talents of too many young people for whom university study should be a realistic ambition, not out of reach," he said.
The talents of too many young people from low income backgrounds were being wasted and more needed to be done to help Britain compete in the world economy. "Hard-working families on modest incomes have concerns about the affordability of university study.
"We need to be willing to change," he said."We need to be willing to change," he said.
Mr Denham said the changes would cost an extra £400m.
Tony Blair's government faced a back-bench rebellion when it brought in variable tuition fees. They had previously been pegged at about £1,000 a year.Tony Blair's government faced a back-bench rebellion when it brought in variable tuition fees. They had previously been pegged at about £1,000 a year.
MPs were concerned that students from low-income families would be deterred from going to university because they feared getting into debt.MPs were concerned that students from low-income families would be deterred from going to university because they feared getting into debt.