Summer support for students: review

Progress to Date

We are pleased to report that the majority of the interim recommendations have been implemented, with the remainder being in progress for delivery by the end of the parliamentary term. Since the start of the review of summer support, we have delivered the following improvements to help further support students over this period:

February 2022

• We announced a £350 loan uplift to the higher education undergraduate student support package for 2022/23 AY
• We introduced a new 12 monthly payment option for higher education students receiving the Care Experienced Bursary, so support is also available over the summer months

June 2022

• Created a dedicated page on the Student Information Scotland website that provides advice and helpful resources to support students over the summer
• Published benefit guidance for students on the Student Information Scotland and SAAS websites

August 2022

• Updated the HE Discretionary Fund Guidance to include a section on summer support
• We added a link to the Student Information Scotland Budget Calculator to the SAAS Student Award Notice to help students manage their finances

September 2022

• We published Guiding Principles for institutions administering Discretionary Funds and wrote to college and university principals asking them to sign up to and adhere to these principles.

March 2023

• We announced a £900 uplift to the higher education undergraduate student support package for 2023/24 AY
• We announced a £900 uplift to the care experienced bursary for further and higher education students for 2023/24 AY