Question reference: S5W-08422
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 27 March 2017
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 April 2017
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the student loan system does not discriminate against people living in areas in quintile 1 of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Answer
We are committed to providing all students, especially those in our most deprived communities, with the financial support they need to succeed.
The level of bursary or loan support a student in higher education can access is determined by their household income, rather than the level of multiple deprivation in the area in which they live.
As well as free tuition, students with a household income below £19,000 are eligible for a minimum income guarantee (comprising a bursary and living-cost loan) of £7,625 per year.