Single Student applications with dependent children: FOI

Information requested

1.The number of student finance applications made by a single applicant with dependent children for an undergraduate course to cover academic years 2017-18.

2. The number of successful applications for the Lone Parents Childcare Grant for the academic years 2017-18 to date for: HNC/HND students; and Undergraduate students.

3. Any detail on the institutions where these students are studying,

4. Any defining data including age, gender, and number of dependents.

Response

Whilst our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) does not hold the information you have requested for points one, three and four as there is no requirement for this data to be collected or held for the purposes of assessing Higher Education funding.

Therefore this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Student Awards Agency Scotland does not have the information you have requested.

Please note: SAAS does not hold the data for the categories requested at point two; however, the table shown below provides information that, relates to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students up to 2022-23

(the latest data available)

Lone Parents' Grant for full-time students, 2017-18 to 2022-23 Academic Year (AY)
Type of bursary/grant	Statistic	2017-18 AY	2018-19 AY	2019-20 AY	2020-21 AY	2021-22 AY	2022-23 AY
Lone Parents' Grant*	Number of students	3,185	3,210	3,230	3,505	3,030	2,675
Lone Parents' Grant	Amount (£ million)	3.8	3.8	3.8	4.3	3.6	3.1
Source: SAAS
Note:	The 2020 SQA results, based on teacher estimates (and the 2020 Alternative Certification Model, where this was higher), led to the Deputy First Minister's commitment to "make provision for enough places in universities and colleges to ensure that no one is crowded out of a place they would otherwise have been awarded”. As a result, there were an additional 1,297 funded student places at universities in 2020-21. This will have impacted on the number of supported students in 2020-21, although the pandemic may also have affected potential students' decisions to stay on at school, defer their studies, or enter further study when they would have otherwise entered the job market.
Note:	Student numbers are rounded to the nearest 5 (e.g. 1,2 round to 0; 3,4 round to 5).

*You can find more information on Lone Parents’ Grants on our website at: www.saas.gov.uk/guides/supportfor- student-carers/lone-parents-grant

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.