While the tuition fee system has had a large amount of political and media attention in the last two decades, far less attention has been paid to the student maintenance system -- the amount of funding students have access to for day to day living expenses. But for many students, this funding is of more immediate importance, and can have a major impact on whether they can afford to move away from home, how much paid work they need to undertake during their studies, and even whether they can afford to go to university at all. With the cost of living crisis accelerating these challenges for students, it is vital that the maintenance support available moves up the political agenda ahead of the next general election. Looking across the UK, the student finance system has now diverged substantially between UK nations. While this briefing focuses on the student finance system for maintenance support in England, it also outlines the systems used across each of the UK nations. Then, focusing on England, this briefing examines how the system has changed over time, including evidence on the sufficiency of maintenance support, particularly for young people from lower income families. Finally, several options for reform are outlined, including costings based on new economic modelling work undertaken by London Economics for the Sutton Trust.