FOR tens of thousands of Highers students across Scotland the last fortnight has been make-or-break time. Have they got the results needed to get into a university of their choice? If not, what are the options available? Is it worth delaying for a year and resitting an exam?
Of course, for those with the right grades, celebrations are in order. But even for them there are tough decisions ahead, not least regarding how to survive on the combination of student grants, loans and other bursaries available during their thre
e or four years at college.
There is no doubt that going to university in Scotland is becoming increasingly expensive. A survey by the National Union of Students (NUS) in Scotland last year found that a third of its members had considered dropping out because of financial hardship. Students from non-traditional backgrounds are more than twice as likely to be forced out of education altogether.
Gurjit Singh, president of NUS Scotland, says: "This is proof that the current system does not allow for equal access to education, or provide students with realistic support for their day-to-day living costs. Available support remains well below the poverty line, forcing the vast majority of students into financial hardship and debt."
So what are the grants available for students in Scotland? The first thing to note is that Scotland's fees and grants system differs from the rest of the UK. This means Scottish students will be treated differently, depending on where they go to university.
For Scottish students who decide to go to a Scottish university or college, the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) will pay tuition fees, generally worth £1,775 a year. The money goes straight to your university or college.
In addition, for students living away from home, there is a combination of means-tested loans and bursaries available from the SAAS, which answers to the Scottish Executive, up to a maximum of £4,510 a year for a standard 30-week course.
Loans are set on a sliding scale and based on parental income: if this is over £54,000 a year or so, you only receive the minimum loan of £890 a year. A bursary may be offered in place of part of the student loan, but it is also means-tested: the highest amount of £2,575 a year is payable only if your household annual income is £18,820 or less. For household income over £33,330 a year, the bursary falls to zero.
As well as the main loan, if you are eligible to receive the Young Students' Bursary you may also be eligible for an additional loan. This is set at £590 for a household income of £17,835 or less a year, falling to zero for a household income over £21,210 a year.
The way the combined loans and bursary system works is complicated. To take one example, a student entering college this year with a home income of £25,000 a year would receive a total of £4,316 from the SAAS.
Of this, £2,142 would be from a combination of means-tested and non-means-tested loans, while £1,478 would come via a student bursary. In this instance, parents would be expected to contribute £194.
But if combined home income rises to £35,000 a year, a student only receives a total of £3,205 from the SAAS, all of it as a loan and none as a bursary. Parents are expected to contribute £1,305.
For Scottish students studying in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, the picture changes again. They are liable for up to £3,145 each year towards their tuition fees. A student loan is available to pay part or all of their fees.
As with students attending a Scottish university, a student loan is available, again up to £4,510 a year for a standard 30-week course and subject to family income. A bursary is available in place of a loan, up to £2,095 a year and subject to means-testing. This is £480 a year less than bursaries paid to students at Scottish colleges.
There are 15,000 English undergraduates in Scotland. For them, fees to study in Scotland must be paid, but not before they start university or while studying. They are eligible for a student loan, which is repaid after they leave university and are earning over £15,000.
Many universities offer grants and bursaries to their students. A spokesman for Glasgow University, for example, points to a range of such scholarships, from the Inverness Field Club Bursary awarded for "original research into any subject pertaining to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland", to the Lowson Memorial Scholarship for mathematics students who previously attended a school in Dundee or Broughty Ferry for three years.
Gavin Lee, president of the student representative council at Glasgow University, says: "At the moment, bursaries are a valuable support to the minority, not the majority. One of the major problems with the current funding system is that there is a significant lack of information available to students about financial help possibilities. The overall funding mechanisms need to be examined."
At Edinburgh, in addition to a similar variety of 'special interest' scholarships, the university also makes available up to 100 grants worth £1,000 each for students needing extra financial help, as well as 90 more, also for up to £1,000, to help with students' accommodation costs.
In addition, most universities also operate hardship funds. However, they tend to be treated as extremely limited sources of support for those in severe financial difficulty through no fault of their own.
Many will try to work their way through college, at least part-time. Others will simply rack up massive debts and hope to pay them off after they graduate.
Study your financial optionsConsider a part-time job once you know exactly how much coursework will be required of you.
• Apply to the SAAS to have your course fees paid every year. If you apply too late, it may create problems in subsequent years.
• A bursary may be non-repayable. However, you are expected to maintain satisfactory conduct, attendance (80% or more) and progress. Tell your college immediately if you are going to be absent or submit an essay late.
• Apply for travel expenses. This is a separate income-assessed grant. If you are a student living in your parents' home, you can claim up to £790 a year for a standard 30-week course. Those living away can claim up to £450 a year for daily travel and the cost of one trip between home and their place of study at the start and end of each term.
• Go to www.student-support-saas.gov.uk for details on what funding you are eligible for. Or visit universities' own sites or welfare offices directly.
