Student experiences of financial support in summer 2021: insights

Policy background

The Scottish Government established a stakeholder engagement group in 2021 to review the support provided to students over the summer, as well as to work closely and support the delivery of the wider student support Manifesto and Programme for Government commitments.

The group included representation from NUS Scotland, Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), Universities Scotland, Colleges Scotland, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), the Further Education Student Support Advisory Group (FESSAG), National Association of Student Money Advisors (NASMA) and Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG).

At the first meeting of the Student Support Stakeholder Engagement Group in August 2021, stakeholders were asked to provide feedback on the support currently available to students over the summer and advise if what is currently in place is sufficient in addressing need. NUS Scotland suggested that the Scottish Government could engage directly with students on this matter, to gain their perspective on the support available over summer.

It was agreed that a short online student survey would be the best approach to obtain initial feedback directly from students. The survey was carried out by analysts in the Scottish Government's Advanced Learning and Skills Analytical Unit.