Financial hardship is the commonest cause and the hardest to raise

Students will disclose almost anything before money.

Financial difficulty underlies a large share of withdrawals and is the least disclosed, because it carries a stigma the others do not and because students frequently believe nothing can be done. Both beliefs are wrong and both are held firmly.

Hardship provisions exist at most institutions and are chronically underused, in part because they are described in language that does not sound like it applies to ordinary difficulty. A fund described for exceptional circumstances will not be approached by somebody who simply cannot afford the bus fare.

The design features that increase uptake are known: small amounts available quickly, minimal evidence for the smallest grants, a simple form, and a decision within days rather than weeks. A process requiring bank statements and a fortnight is not available to somebody deciding this week.

It is also worth being alert to the indirect costs, which institutions systematically underestimate: transport, placement expenses, equipment, printing, childcare during timetabled hours, and the earnings foregone during unpaid placement. Those are frequently larger than any fee and are not covered by anything.

Where a student is working excessive hours to stay afloat, the useful conversation is about study load rather than about money. Reducing to a lighter load is frequently the intervention that saves the enrolment, and it requires somebody to raise it as an option rather than as a failure.