Chamber and committees

The Access to Education Fund is a £1.5 million fund which aims to reduce the barriers to learning experienced by pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. The fund, which will be administered by Education Scotland, will be open to applications from schools, from the week commencing 18 August 2014. Applications can be made for up to £5000 per school for a range of activities, including, funding to support pupils and their families for additional school materials, trips, uniforms, IT, coaching and mentoring and parental engagement programmes. Further guidance for schools and the application form can be found on the Education Scotland website:

www.educationscotland.gov.uk/supportinglearners/accesstoeducationfund.asp

The deadline for applications is 10 October 2014 at 5.00pm. Officials from the Scottish Government and Education Scotland will consider all applications and schools will be notified with a decision by the end of November 2014.

Scotland’s Future, including the proposition to continue to charge students from elsewhere in the UK tuition fees in an independent Scotland, is consistent with and informed by legal advice the government has received. The content of any legal advice is confidential. By long-standing convention, successive Scottish and UK governments have not disclosed the source or content of legal advice other than in the most exceptional circumstances.

The Scottish Government believes that the unique and unprecedented position of an independent Scotland will enable us to establish an objective justification for our current policy approach to tuition fees which meets the requirements of the EU.

The current policy, based on residence, recognises the need to maintain the current mix of students at Scottish universities in order to ensure that Scottish-domiciled students have the opportunity to study in Scotland, and that Scotland secures the graduate skills it requires, while ensuring that the universities also admit students from the rest of the UK and beyond.

The total number of students from the rest of the UK (rUK) studying at Scottish higher education institutes (HEIs) is shown in the table below. RUK students account for around 12 per cent of the HEI student population in Scotland.

Table 1: Students from the rest of the UK studying at Scottish higher education institutes from 2007-08 to 2012-13

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency

The most recent figures available from the Scottish Funding Council indicate that students from elsewhere in the UK contributed £38.2 million in tuition fees to Scottish universities in 2012-13. This represented 4.9% of income from tuition fees and education contracts and 1.3% of overall university income.

With the other UK administrations, the Scottish Government is a shareholder in the Student Loans Company (SLC). The SLC does not manage repayment of student loan debt on behalf of the Scottish Government alone.

The information requested on collection of student debt is not held by the Scottish Government. However, the SLC website provides relevant information on this matter: http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspx

No analysis of graduate retention in that specific context has been undertaken. Should the people of Scotland vote for independence, the collection of student loan repayments is a matter that will form part of transitional discussions between the Scottish and UK governments.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the size of the overall loan book, as it relates to Scottish customers, remains sustainable and affordable.

Should the people of Scotland vote for independence, the administration of student loan scheme is a matter that will form part of transitional discussions between the Scottish and UK governments.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government.