Scrapping grants has not stopped poorer pupils going to university: CBS

The government’s decision to scrap student grants in 2015 has not led to a reduction in the number of children from poorer backgrounds going to college and university but has led to fewer students moving away from home to study, the nationals statistics agency CBS said on Thursday.

The change in 2015 meant students were between €90 and €279 a month worse off – depending if they were based at home or lived away while studying.

The research, which focuses on 2007 to 2017, shows that there was a slight drop in the number of pupils in pre-college streams (havo), applying for degree courses, but that this impact was felt across all income groups.

Among wealthier pupils in pre-university streams (vwo), there has been a marginal drop in the percentage going to university since 2014 but the percentage of poorer pupils going to university actually increased, the CBS said.

However, there has been a shift in the number of students living away from home. The number of university students leaving home within 16 months of starting their degree has dropped from 61% to 45% while among college students the drop is from 23% to 14%.