By Professor Andy Long

The determination of our prospective students always strikes a chord.

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Many are the first in their families to consider university. Some are leaving care with no family safety net. Others are mature students juggling children and jobs while trying to further their education. What they all share is a hunger for opportunity and a quiet anxiety about whether they can make it work.

Contrary to some opinions, I believe that the UK needs more, not less, highly skilled graduates to drive economic growth and make the Industrial Strategy a reality.

Bridget Phillipson's announcement of restored maintenance grants is a welcome recognition that financial barriers prevent talented young people from reaching their potential.

After nearly a decade, Ministers have finally acknowledged what we see every day in our student support services: the cost-of-living crisis is forcing too many capable students to choose between their education and their financial survival.

But we need to be clear about the scale of the challenge. With household income thresholds for the maximum maintenance loan frozen since 2008 and living costs continuing to rise, these grants are a positive first step - but they're nowhere near sufficient to address the reality facing students today. So many of our students are juggling part-time work alongside their studies, not to build experience or earn pocket money, but to afford rent and food.

For young people in regions like the North East, where higher education participation rates remain stubbornly low and educational attainment gaps at GCSE and A-level compound disadvantage, we need to ensure financial support doesn't become another deterrent preventing talented students from applying to university in the first place.

At Northumbria, we're committed to recruiting students from all backgrounds and giving them the support they need to succeed. Our provision for care-experienced students, targeted mental health services and hardship funds exist because we understand that potential is evenly distributed - but opportunity isn't. We've deliberately built this infrastructure: every undergraduate on every programme now benefits from real-world learning opportunities, ensuring they graduate with both qualifications and practical experience.

The results speak for themselves - our students from any and all backgrounds achieve outcomes that prove what's possible when you combine their determination with the right support. We are proud to be in the top quartile nationally for students going into highly skilled jobs 15 months after graduation.

A large proportion, 70 per cent, of those students then stay in the North East of England, becoming the teachers, nurses, and engineers the region desperately needs - contributing directly to the national mission of economic growth. But sustaining that pipeline depends on ensuring that financial barriers don't prevent talented young people from considering university at all.

The international student levy presents both challenges and opportunities in this context. Universities have historically relied on a careful balance between three main funding streams: UK students, international students, and world-leading research. This funding from international students has enabled institutions to build the comprehensive support systems that truly widen participation.

As the levy takes shape, there's a genuine opportunity here for government and the sector to have a constructive conversation about how we use these resources to directly support students who need it most. The portion of levy proceeds not earmarked for maintenance grants could strengthen the wider support infrastructure that helps students progress from enrolment to graduation to meaningful employment - if the policy is designed with that goal in mind.

What we can't afford is a policy environment where renewed government commitment to social mobility through maintenance grants is undermined by funding pressures that force institutions to scale back the very support systems that make those grants effective. Students don't just need help covering rent - they need mental health support when the pressure becomes overwhelming, hardship funds when unexpected costs arise, and careers guidance that connects them to graduate opportunities in their region.

At Northumbria, we've spent years measuring what works. We know which interventions improve outcomes for different student cohorts, which partnerships with local employers create real opportunities, and how to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds navigate higher education successfully. We're ready to keep delivering on social mobility and are committed to supporting students from all backgrounds to achieve their ambitions.

The maintenance grants announcement suggests the government understands the barriers facing students from low-income families. As discussions about the wider higher education funding environment continue, the question is whether the government will create the conditions that enable universities to provide the comprehensive support students need - ensuring that financial circumstances never cause a talented young person to decide university isn't for them.

Professor Andy Long is the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University.

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