Scottish students drop out due to lack of financial support

New research from NUS Scotland shows student hardship levels are soaring, causing many to drop out.

The ‘Still in the Red’ report comes ten years after the last major reforms in student funding which were outlined in the ‘Cubie’ report. ‘Still in Red’ surveyed over 7400 students across all backgrounds and types of study and found that one in three students considered dropping out with the majority stating “not having enough financial support” as the key reason.

Scotland has the lowest level of student support out of the whole of the UK along with the second highest percentages of drop outs after first year. Northern Ireland is home to the highest percentage of early leavers.

With over 600,000 students studying at colleges and universities in Scotland there are fears many will simply not get the financial help they need.

Liam Burns, NUS Scotland president told The Journal: “They are startling findings, one in three students have thought of dropping out with lack of money being the main cause and one in three actually know someone who has dropped out for this reason.

“It’s unfair that Scottish students in Edinburgh are seen as getting a free education, it is not actually free, and many are going into debt, having to access commercial credit. It has shown the HE students don’t get enough money in pocket.”

The report found that over two thirds of students frequently worried about their finances and felt the lack of money received was having a negative impact on their studies. In addition, 68 per cent were working more than the recommended guidelines of 10 hours per week.

These findings also represent a huge waste of public money as so many Scottish students continue to drop out early.

Mr Burns commented: “Studying should be based on ability to learn, not the ability to pay. Without fundamental and urgent reforms of student support, explicitly increasing the amount students receive this will never be the case.

“We hope politicians will take stock of these findings. During Freshers’ Week we have actually been getting students to sign up for the 'Not Free Not Fair' campaign and there will be a national demonstration called 'Fund our Future: Stop Education Cuts' in London on 10 November to fight against the looming education cuts."