Student Funding Increased

Thousands of students from the poorest backgrounds in Fife and beyond are to receive more financial support.

The Scottish Government has announced that bursaries for a household with an income of £24,000 will increase by £125 in the next academic year. From 2016/17, the threshold for receiving the maximum bursary will also rise from £17,000 to £19,000.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Angela Constance announced the enhanced support – including for those who choose to study elsewhere in the UK – during an address to a conference on widening access to higher education.

She told delegates at the University of Strathclyde:

“We are always looking at ways to increase student support wherever possible so I am very pleased to announce this additional funding which aims to help those from lower income backgrounds.

“The Scottish Government is committed to creating a fairer, more equal Scotland and as part of that we want every child in Scotland to have the same chance of going to university, irrespective of their background. Education should be based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay.

“Widening access to Higher Education has long been a priority of this government to ensure every young person who wants to attend university is not prevented by their economic or social circumstances. The Commission on Widening Access, chaired by Dame Ruth Silver started work on this last month with a view to providing a final report in Spring 2016.”

Vonnie Sandlan, NUS Scotland president-elect, said it was "great news" for students

She said: "Our work to bring student poverty up the political agenda is paying off, delivering real benefits for students, and the Scottish Government is to be congratulated for doing more to tackle student poverty.

“NUS Scotland has long campaigned for, and achieved, big increases in student support, ensuring that students have enough money to get through their course. Continued investment in student support means fewer students turning to payday loans, commercial borrowing, or dropping out of education altogether. Today’s announcement is a strong recognition of the importance of student support to improving fair access and step forward in boosting the amount of money the poorest students have. Crucially, it delivers the increases in grants, further reducing student poverty without adding any worries of increased debt.  

“This is a really welcome announcement but we can, and must, always push ourselves to go further on tackling student poverty. At the same time, we can’t forget that students in further education are still struggling by on a bursary system in real need of reform and more money. As we look ahead to the next Scottish budget this year, and Scottish elections next year, that’s a message we’ll keep pushing to all parties, and students will expect to see action.”