The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Amount of bursaries rises by 10.8%
The total amount of bursaries given by the Scottish Government to university students has risen by 10.8% as the number of recipients slightly dropped.
Statistics released by the Students Awards Agency Scotland (Saas) on the amount distributed in loans and bursaries in 2019-20 indicate £90.9 million was handed to students in non-repayable grants.
This is compared to £80.2m the year before.
Despite the increase in support, the number of claimants for bursaries dropped by 0.5% – from 54,480 to 54,190.
In total, £1.009 billion of support was given to full time students in the last academic year – the most ever given out by the agency.
Higher and Further Education Minister Richard Lochhead said: “For the total university student support number to top £1bn for the first time is a really significant milestone – news which is all the more welcome, given the uncertain times in which we are living because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“To see that 10% rise in what is non-repayable money being given to students should prove a welcome boost to many.
“In recent months, of course, the Scottish Government has also been reacting to the financial challenges facing the sector because of Covid-19, including committing to fully funding additional places required as a result of SQA results being regraded.
“In July, we announced our Further and Higher Education Sustainability Plan, which highlights many steps we have taken to support higher education, including the development of an International Student Action Plan, hardship support of £5m across further education and higher education student support and early access to £11.4m of higher education discretionary funds.”
Saas reports 148,570 undergraduate and postgraduate students received support last year, a drop of 0.2% from the previous session, with the average level of funding for each student £6,140.