Increases to the Durham Grant mean the minimum grant will be over £500 more next year

In an email addressed to Durham students today, the Pro-Vice Chancellor Jeremy Cook has announced that the Durham Grant is increasing by up to 13.6 per cent.

The maximum grant, which has gone up to £2,500, will be given to students whose annual household income is below £30,000 and who don’t already have an undergraduate degree. The university says this is above the current rate of inflation.

Students whose annual household income is between £30,001 and £47,200 will be entitled to a grant of between £2,495 and £780, which will be allocated depending on income.

These grants will be available for the 2023/24 academic year, and the university says they “guarantee the grant will remain at this level for academic year 2024/25 also”.

The Durham Grant Scheme was increased for this academic year by ten per cent so that students with a household income of less than £27,000 would receive the full grant of £2,200, and students whose household income was less than £47,200 would be entitled to between £232-£2119.

This means that the minimum grant available for next year has increased by £548, and the maximum has increased by £300.

Whilst the threshold for the maximum grant has increased by £3,000, the threshold for the minimum grant has remained the same at £47,200.

The university also announced in the email that students will be able to contact a specific email from Monday 13th February if they still can’t find a room for next year, and says they will “work with the County Council and housing market to provide support and guidance”.

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