Hardship funds across Scotland started to dry up in September, part-time work has become scarcer, and a third of Scottish students have considered dropping out because of money worries.
The Scottish Government has set aside £30 million to increase student support, and suggests using this money to begin phasing out student loans, replacing them with grants for the very poorest of students. But NUS Scotland believes that, in the current climate, students need more money in their pockets, rather than the same amount of money on different terms.
Our proposal replaces commercial debt with an increase in the more favourable student loan, and gives students more cash while they study.
Tell us what you think
We are working to prove that, during the economic recession, increasing the amount of support available during studies is more important than reducing graduate debt. In order to do this, we need your feedback. By filling in our short survey you will also be entered into a draw to win a 4GB Ipod Shuffle.
What students said
"The cost of food has increased considerably, and with an already very low income, it simply does not stretch as far as it has in the past. Bills, in particular gas and electricity, have increased dramatically to the extent that I cannot conceive of paying them by myself, they are simply too expensive.”
“Money from the student loans company hasn’t gone as far as it did last year. I struggled to make ends meet during the Christmas and Easter breaks.”
“My rent money has gone up and now I am struggling to pay it. The cost of living has gone up as well, so I now find it difficult to do a weekly basic shopping. I find myself relying on my parents to help with bills so I can afford to eat.”
“I'm a single parent on incapacity benefit and I’m not sure if I can afford to continue with my studies next year.”
“It’s hard gaining full-time employment during holidays. I've got plenty of experience and have been working since I was 14. I've never found it so hard to get employed and I'm getting into debt. There's no way I would be able to gain a degree without assistance from "commercial debt" and the money my parents provide.”
The Scottish careers advisory services are also completing a survey on the supply and demand of jobs available during term-time and the summer holidays.
Fill in our survey and tell us what you think.