Written questions by Stride.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled Interest rate cap introduced to protect Plan 2 borrowers, published on 7 April 2026, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of capping interest on Plan 2 and 3 student loans at 6%.

The government is capping maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 (postgraduate) student loans at 6%, instead of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) plus 3%, for the 2026/27 academic year.This short-term protective measure will apply from the 1 September 2026 to the 31 August 2027 and removes the risk of a temporary increase in inflation causing loan balances to compound at an unsustainable rate.Student loan interest rates are ordinarily set for each academic year by reference to the RPI value for the year to the preceding March. On that basis, interest rates for the 2026/27 academic year would normally be determined using the RPI figure for March 2026, due to be published on 22 April 2026.The impact of the interest rate cap on the public purse will depend on the March RPI value.

How many and what proportion of student loans issued in each of the last five years for which data is available were for students with a non-Common Travel Area immigration status.

The department is not able to provide the requested data on settled status in the required timescale.Settled status is a residency category, which is data held by the Student Loans Company (SLC).However, changes in the application process over time, including the transition to electronic applications and introduction of new products, systems and processes in line with the legislation, mean that data held for earlier cohorts is held differently across multiple SLC systems.As a result, it is not currently possible to produce robust settled status data within the required timescales. The department and the SLC are undertaking work to improve the quality and consistency of data provided.Once this work is complete, the department expects to be able to provide information in response to such questions.The department is not able to provide the requested data on immigration status. The SLC does not hold immigration status data. Immigration status data is held by the Home Office and is used by the SLC as part of the assessment for loan eligibility. However, as the SLC does not hold immigration status data in their own systems, this breakdown cannot be provided.

What the student loan outlay is by immigration status of the student cohort for the last five years for which data is available.

The department is not able to provide the requested data on settled status in the required timescale.Settled status is a residency category, which is data held by the Student Loans Company (SLC).However, changes in the application process over time, including the transition to electronic applications and introduction of new products, systems and processes in line with the legislation, mean that data held for earlier cohorts is held differently across multiple SLC systems.As a result, it is not currently possible to produce robust settled status data within the required timescales. The department and the SLC are undertaking work to improve the quality and consistency of data provided.Once this work is complete, the department expects to be able to provide information in response to such questions.The department is not able to provide the requested data on immigration status. The SLC does not hold immigration status data. Immigration status data is held by the Home Office and is used by the SLC as part of the assessment for loan eligibility. However, as the SLC does not hold immigration status data in their own systems, this breakdown cannot be provided.

How many and what proportion of student loans issued in each of last five years for which data is available were for students with settled status, expressed in (a) monetary terms and (b) number of students.

The department is not able to provide the requested data on settled status in the required timescale.Settled status is a residency category, which is data held by the Student Loans Company (SLC).However, changes in the application process over time, including the transition to electronic applications and introduction of new products, systems and processes in line with the legislation, mean that data held for earlier cohorts is held differently across multiple SLC systems.As a result, it is not currently possible to produce robust settled status data within the required timescales. The department and the SLC are undertaking work to improve the quality and consistency of data provided.Once this work is complete, the department expects to be able to provide information in response to such questions.The department is not able to provide the requested data on immigration status. The SLC does not hold immigration status data. Immigration status data is held by the Home Office and is used by the SLC as part of the assessment for loan eligibility. However, as the SLC does not hold immigration status data in their own systems, this breakdown cannot be provided.

How will the cost of the Erasmus Scheme in 2027/28 be funded.

We have agreed terms with the European Commission that represent a fair balance between the UK’s contribution and the benefits the programme offers, which paved the way for UK participation.We have agreed a 30% discount compared to the default terms in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, as well as a review of the UK’s participation in the programme ten months after our association, including data concerning demand for funding in the UK. Going forward, any continued UK participation in Erasmus+ under the next Multiannual Financial Framework will be informed by our experience of association in 2027.Erasmus costs will be funded above the department’s spending review settlement and scored in the usual way at the next fiscal event.

What the outstanding value is of student loan debt owed by EU students; and how much of that debt is being actively repaid.

An EU borrower is a borrower who was originally domiciled in an EU country prior to entering higher education in England. Tuition fee funding for new EU students in England without 'settled' or 'pre-settled status' ceased in the 2021/22 academic year. However, those continuing a course remain eligible for financial support for the duration of their course, in addition to those covered by the Withdrawal Agreements, subject to meeting other residency and course requirements.The outstanding value of student loan debt owed by EU borrowers was £5.8 billion at 31 March 2025. Of EU borrowers liable to repay, 38.8% are actively repaying, have fully repaid or had their loan cancelled or written off. This data is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2024-25.A loan becomes liable for repayment when the borrower has passed their statutory repayment due date. This is the normally the April after graduating or otherwise leaving their course, provided they are earning above the relevant income threshold.Definitions of repayment terms can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/definitions-england.