Originally published on February 24th, 2009

More Scottish students than ever are using hardship funds to cope in the current financial climate – except at Edinburgh, where the number receiving aid from the emergency funds is down on last year.

Edinburgh is the only Scottish university to have experienced a fall in the number of awards made from hardship funds, although the total sum paid out so far this year is up four percent on last year’s figures.
The University insists that there has been no change to the criteria under which money is awarded from the funds.

The data, revealed in a survey conducted by the Scottish Labour Party, showed a 25 percent increase in the number of awards at Glasgow University, and a 19 percent rise at Dundee University.

Of the 11 universities surveyed, most blamed the increases in demand on the credit crunch, changes to the Scottish student funding system and employers cutting back on the number of part-time jobs for students.

Gurjit Singh, president of NUS Scotland, called for more government help for students: "As this recession bites, students are finding it increasingly difficult to access commercial credit and it is putting a lot of pressure on those who have previously relied on it to make ends meet. It is time for the government to act."

Claire Baker, Scottish Labour spokeswoman on higher education, told the Herald: “These responses show that hardship funds across Scotland are seriously under-funded to meet the demand they face from students across Scotland.’“However, rather than make efforts to reduce the levels of student hardship, this SNP government has actually made matters worse.”

EUSA vice-president Guy Bromley has called on the University to publicise the availability of hardship funds, saying: “I think it unlikely that the downward trend in applications for financial hardship funds reflects a reduction in need.

“It is imperative that the University makes the criteria clear under which funds would be released, and publicises these widely, so that no student has to struggle to get through their degree because of a lack of money.”

Baker said that student were under pressure due to recent changes made by the Scottish Government to means-tested student support, combined with efficiency cuts that she claimed would mean £12.5 million budget cuts.

Gurjit Singh, president of NUS Scotland, called for more government help for students: "As this recession bites, students are finding it increasingly difficult to access commercial credit and it is putting a lot of pressure on those who have previously relied on it to make ends meet. It is time for the government to act."

The Scottish Government is currently hosting a consultation on how to spend the £30 million in student support funding left over from the previous budget, and is considering proposals including larger bursaries for poorer students, and the novel idea of giving every Scottish student a £500 lump sum.