Students face £24,000 debt
Stirling University students on a four-year course could wind up with debts of almost £24,000 by the time they graduate.
Some were speaking to the Observer as a report indicated the nation’s poorest students were taking on more debt than their richer counterparts.
The report was produced by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), an agency of the Scottish Government which supports Scottish students by paying their tuition fees and offering bursaries and grants.
It said overall bursary figures were rising but were still below the levels of previous years.
The average amount of support each student receives had risen 1.9 per cent to £5830 but those from the poorest background continued to take the highest loans at £5920 per year for the lowest household income bracket compared with £4640 for the highest.
For a student on a four-year degree this would result in £23,500 of debt.
Fourth-year student at Stirling Stephanie Van Eck said: “Currently I can scrape by without a job but when I was in second year my student loan didn’t cover rent.
“I had to work a large amount of shifts to afford accommodation as well as simply affording food.
“The hours I worked were really late, often ending between 1am and 3am, and I would end up really struggling to concentrate during classes as a result.
“I also work every summer to help afford the first semester’s rent.”
She said cash from the awards agency was a reason she was able to study her degree.
History student Matthew Roud, who works at Hermann’s Restaurant, receives the basic level of SAAS award, which he says “is essentially enough to cover rent and bills”.
He said the system could still do more, in particular for students who do not have family financial support, as not every student can afford the time for a job.
Stirling Students’ Union vicepresident Matt Adie said: “This report confirmed what we have been seeing: that a growing number of students, particularly the most disadvantaged, are finding themselves taking on increasingly more debt as bursary and grant support gets cut.” The Scottish Government has commissioned an independent review of student support which is due to report over the next few months. At the moment the SAAS pays the tuition fees of eligible Scottish and EU students, regardless of their financial position. Students can apply for a loan of up of £6750 but loans are limited to £4750 for those from a household with an income over £34,000. Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford said: “Unlike anywhere else in the UK, college and university tuition is free for those who use it in Scotland. “Our key principle is that education should be about an ability to learn and succeed, not an ability to pay. “This is at a time when the Scottish Government is working to make further and higher education more accessible to people from poorer backgrounds with a range of actions being taken forward. “I am delighted that this year’s figures are showing improvement in that area, with a record number of people from the poorest 20 per cent of communities securing a place in Scotland’s universities, and I await the findings of the review on student support with great interest.”