What is the current number of students who have dropped out of university due to the cost-of-living crisis over the past year?
We rely on Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) statistics for information on non-continuation and do not collect or publish this information as a live snapshot in-year. The latest information HESA have available on non-continuation is available on their website, which does not yet cover the past year.
The 2021 to 2022 Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES) reports on the financial position of higher education students in Wales and England in the 2021 to 2022 academic year and measures the impact of changes to the student financial support package by comparing results with the previous survey undertaken in the 2014 to 2015 academic year. Students were surveyed in the summer term of 2022, when the effects of the rise in the cost of living were beginning to be felt. The report for Welsh-domiciled students is due to be published in Autumn 2024. This survey only includes those currently in higher education so does not provide information on those who may have dropped out for financial reasons.