Saturday 09-06-2018 - 17:54

NUS Scotland have welcomed first steps towards reforming cost-of-living support for Scotland’s students, announced today by the First Minister at the SNP’s conference in Aberdeen.

Announcements include:

• £16 million additional annual investment in bursary support for Scotland’s students

• Over £5 million for £8,100 bursary support for care-experienced students at university or college

• An increase to the point at which graduates repay their student loans – to £25,000

Commenting, NUS Scotland President, Luke Humberstone, said:

“It is great to see the Scottish Government will take the first steps to delivering on the ambition of the independent student support review.

"This wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of students throughout Scotland over the last six months as part of the Budget for Better campaign. Congratulations to everyone who took action on their campus, emailed or lobbied directly their MSPs. Your hard work has paid off with this significant new investment in better bursaries and a better deal for graduates.”

“We welcome the First Minister’s commitment to fresh investment in bursary support for Scotland’s students. NUS Scotland has long called for an increase in non-repayable grants so that students – especially those from the poorest backgrounds - don’t have to rely on more and more debt just to scrape by.

“Care experienced students face significant barriers in accessing and remaining in education, and it’s fantastic to see they’re set to be the first to benefit from a new £8,100 minimum income, tied to the real Living Wage, as recommended by the student support review.

“We have consistently argued that students should only start paying back student debt once they see the benefits of their education in their payslip. It’s great that the First Minister has now committed to significantly increasing the point at which graduates repay their loans to £25,000.

“There is much to welcome in today’s announcements, which build on the commitment to free tuition, and represent important first steps to delivering a new deal for Scotland’s students. We now look forward to looking at the detail of the government’s full response to the student support review, and the timescales attached to it.”

To find out more about today's and discuss the next steps for the student movement in Scotland, current and incoming officers at all colleges and universities are gathering on Monday 18 June at Edinburgh University Students' Association for the Student Funding Summit. If your students' association hasn't registered yet, go here to register and make sure you don't miss out on this important discussion.