The report shows that, due to financial reasons, 30% of Scottish students are choosing to live with their parents while they study, compared to 18% nationally, showing how having enough money in your pocket is a key concern for students in Scotland.
The research also found that 35% of Scottish students rely on their parents as their primary method of funding their university education, compared to 25% nationally, pointing to insufficient government support.
In response to AIC’s research, Liam Burns, President of NUS Scotland, said:
"While we might have relatively lower levels of graduate debt in Scotland, these statistics show increasing levels of student hardship. We may have free education, but it certainly isn't fair.
"Reducing debt for graduates in Scotland is only half the story and won’t stop the poorest and most vulnerable from dropping out or not turning up on campus at all.
Focus should be on putting money in students' pockets
"Where we should be focussing is the lack of support for students studying here and now rather than those lucky enough to have already graduated.
“Full-time Scottish university students don’t pay tuition fees and so it makes sense that debt after graduation would be less of a concern for Scotland.
"But with Scotland’s drop-out rates exceeding the rest of the UK, and with Scotland’s poorer record on widening access, there is still quite a way to go to ensure education is based on talent, not the ability to pay.
Ensuring action in lead-up to Scottish Parliamentary elections
“With students facing greater levels of financial hardship, jobs drying up, and the recession making parental contributions more difficult, NUS Scotland will be working hard from now until the Scottish Parliament elections to ensure that politicians listen and act to better support the poorest students through their studies.”