According to a report, some parents of English university students would have to spend almost £14,000 a year to ensure their children have an acceptable standard of living while they study.

According to an estimate by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) and TechnologyOne, university students studying outside London need £18,632 per year to achieve a minimum acceptable standard of living.

Researchers at Loughborough University’s Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) have developed a Minimum Income Standard (MIS) for students that estimates the amount required for “full participation in higher education”.

Government support to cover student living expenses “is insufficient” for what is needed, even for students receiving the maximum available support, the report said.

According to the report, the gap for students studying outside London is £8,405 if they come from England, £6,482 if they come from Wales, £7,232 if they come from Scotland and £10,496 if they come from Northern Ireland.

In 2024/25, students in England from households with incomes of £25,000 or less will be able to receive a living loan of up to £10,227 per year if they live outside London.

Students with a higher household income receive a smaller maintenance loan to cover their living expenses.

Researchers estimate that families in England whose child is not in paid employment and receives only the minimum maintenance allowance would have to contribute £13,865 annually to achieve MIS status.

For a Welsh student, the contribution is £6,482, for a Scottish student £10,232 and for a Northern Irish student £13,548, according to the study.

A minimum standard of living is “more than just food, clothing and shelter” and is what is needed to have the “necessary opportunities and choices to participate in society,” the paper says.

The report calls for an increase in the maximum levels of state support for students in all four UK countries, but says that living support should not necessarily cover all student costs.

Students may be “expected to work part-time,” about 525 hours per year, which is equivalent to full-time employment in the summer or 10 hours per week for the entire year, it said.

The report goes on to say: “Parents should not be expected to contribute to the livelihood of their children if they themselves are unable to achieve a minimum acceptable standard of living.”

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This research involved focus groups with local students in their second or third year of university in the UK who lived in privately rented accommodation and shared it with friends.

After consulting with the groups, the researchers created a minimum basket of goods and services and determined their costs in order to develop an estimate of how much money the students need to achieve a minimum standard of living.

Josh Freeman, policy manager at Hepi and co-author of the report, said: “While we have known for some time that financial support for students in the UK is inadequate, the size of this gap is striking.”

“It is time to rethink student support funding.

“The report makes it very clear that we do not expect the government to cover all costs for students. In most cases, it might make sense for students to take up paid work.

“But the current situation, in which many students have to work 20 hours or more to cover their costs, is unsustainable.

“While it may be reasonable for some parents to contribute, current expectations are very demanding.”

Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK (UUK), said it was clear that many students were “struggling to cover living costs”.

She said: “Although universities are doing everything they can to support their students, the maintenance package is not enough and has not kept pace with inflation.”

Chloe Field, vice-president of higher education at the National Union of Students (NUS), said: “After a decade of the poorest students graduating with the highest levels of debt, it is clear that the current education funding model is not working and needs urgent repair.”

She added: “The image of students constantly partying and skipping lectures because of a hangover is not true: we simply dream of a world in which we invest enough time and energy in our studies and can afford to spend time with our friends.”

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesman said: “Our student finance system ensures that students from the lowest income families receive the greatest possible support.

“We are increasing loans and grants for living and other costs while freezing tuition fees for the seventh consecutive year to reduce the amount of student debt.

“We have also increased the Student Award Scheme by £5 million for 2024-25 to top up the help universities provide through their own scholarship and hardship schemes.”