Student loans being snubbed by least well off

Those from poorest families fear getting into debt

STUDENTS from Scotland’s most disadvantaged backgrounds are refusing to support themselves with government loans because of a fear of debt, new figures show.

The statistics have revealed that one in five students from the poorest households do not take out any of the loans they are eligible for to help them study.

That means these students only receive £1,875 in bursary payments a year compared to a maximum of £7,625 in combined loans and bursaries.

Across all household income brackets, students studying higher education courses at college are significantly less likely to access a loan compared to those studying degree programmes at university.

The figures released by the Student Awards Agency Scotland comes just weeks after it emerged that Scottish universities have some of the worst student drop-out rates in the UK.

Some of the highest drop-out rates are concentrated in newer universities which take greater numbers of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

NUS Scotland, which represents students, called on the Scottish Government to improve support for the poorest students.

Vonnie Sandlan, president of NUS Scotland, said: “These figures show there’s clearly a need to look at how we improve support for the students who need it most.

“Our freedom of information request reveals a significant number of students aren’t taking on any loan and making do with minimal levels of support. Some students are getting by on as little as £1,125 a year which is simply unacceptable.

“These figures starkly demonstrate the difficult choice students face – take their loan and the debt that comes with it, or don’t take it and try to make do on the little bursary support they receive.”

However, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said young people from deprived areas in Scot- land were now more likely to participate in higher education by the age of 30 than they were ten years ago – up from 35 per cent in 2006-07 to 42 per cent in 2013/14.

She added: “Our commitment to free tuition, the prospect of the lowest average debt and the best graduate prospects in the UK saw a record number of Scots accepted to study at Scottish universities last year.

“We also increased the grant element of our package for the poorest students by £125 in 2015/16 and our minimum income guarantee for undergraduate students from the poorest households living at home is £7,625 per year – the highest package of support in the UK.”

Figures published in March showed some eight per cent of students leave their university course before the start of the second year compared to a UK average of 7.2 per cent.

The highest drop-out rates were at the University of the Highlands and Islands and the University of the West of Scotland which both had drop-out rates of more than 14 per cent. The universities of Abertay, Robert Gordon and Queen Margaret all had higher drop-out rates than the Scottish average.

‘‘ A significant number of students aren’t taking on any loan and making do with minimal levels of support

EUROPE’S largest bronze sculpture, which stands on top of the Wellington Arch in London, is having a major clean.

The sculpture, called Quadriga, depicts four horses that represent the forces of the chaos of war being calmed by the angel of peace. It was installed in 1912.

Covered in scaffolding, the sculpture has been cleaned of years of dirt, grease and grime by English Heritage conservators. who have also fixed corrosion, flaws, cracks and damage from rain getting into the artwork.

The three-month project is costing £250,000.