The number of estranged students and care leavers receiving university loans across much of the UK has fallen in the past year, early figures suggest.

Provisional data show that 9,141 estranged students and 3,430 care leavers from England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been for the 2023-24 academic year.

This total of 12,571 was down 12 per cent from the peak of 14,357 in the SLC figures the year before. It was the first time the number, which includes students under the age of 25, has fallen since these statistics began in 2017-18.

The SLC said its figures, which do not include Scottish students, are provisional and might rise throughout the year.

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Neil Harrison, associate professor in education and social justice at the University of Exeter, said the drop was hopefully a “statistical blip” caused by a fall from the inflated overall student numbers recorded during the pandemic.

In addition, 2023-24 marks the first year that students from the European Union are absent from the data.

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“Universities and other organisations are doing more than ever to support care leavers and estranged students into higher education,” said Dr Harrison.

“However, it’s important not to be complacent, and there is still much more that can be done to demystify higher education, smooth transitions and make it achievable for young people.”

The decrease could also be explained by cash-strapped local authorities rejecting more applications rather than the number of applicants shrinking, or by universities reducing additional support to care leavers, according to Amanda Sacker, emeritus professor of lifecourse studies at UCL.

“It could be that the increase in the cost of living has deterred more students from applying to university,” she said.

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“This would be more consistent with the fact that numbers for both estranged students and care leavers have gone down.”

Previous research has identified that it would take 107 years to close the participation gap between care leavers and non-care leavers at university at the existing rate of change.

And Fiona Ellison, director of the Unite Foundation, said it was disappointing to see figures that suggest that this rate could slow even more.

“The same challenges clearly still stand, and it’s likely that cost-of-living pressures, student finance not keeping pace with rent inflation and increases in other costs have only exacerbated an already critical issue,” she said.

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“To meaningfully engage and encourage broader participation in, and continuation through, higher education, a student-centred approach is crucial and one which addresses core needs like safety and security.”

Ms Ellison said any strategy aiming to increase participation and boost engagement must follow what the research shows, and begin by offering somewhere safe to live.

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patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com