Student Finance and Wellbeing Study Scotland 2023/24: literature review

10. An overview of the literature

In conducting this review of the literature, several caveats should be borne in mind.

This was a rapid review of the research and policy literature. Therefore, it focused on research and policy pertaining predominantly to Scotland. Whilst we have included some policy research undertaken in England for comparison, it was not possible within the scope of the review to systematically provide an overview of comparable student support in the rest of the UK. Similarly, as this was not a systematic review, it was also not feasible to include all relevant Scottish literature. Instead, we have focused on policy specific literature pertaining to the range of Scottish funding policies at FE, HE and Postgraduate level.

The key strength of this review’s approach is that it provides a comprehensive overview of the key relevant funding policies available to students enrolled on courses at different qualification levels, in different delivery modes (full-time and part-time), and targeted at different groups of students. It also highlights some of the issues students face as well as providing context. This has assisted the research team in designing the research tools for the Student Finance and Wellbeing Study, and will be valuable in providing some context to emerging findings.

The review identifies some continued gaps in the Scottish policy and research literature. This includes a notable lack of research on finances with students enrolled in colleges – at both FE and HE level. Whilst some FE students were involved in the Scottish Government’s Independent Inquiry on Student Support (2017), most of the research continues to focus on HE students undertaking degrees in universities. Likewise, there is a lack of research in Scotland on the financial experiences of postgraduate students, and on other specific groups of students who may be more financially vulnerable, such as those who are care experienced, estranged, carers, disabled or student parents.

More broadly, the review points to an overall lack of research literature exploring the financial experiences of students in Scotland. Student representative groups such as NUS Scotland, and research organisations such as the Mental Health Foundation have undertaken large scale, though non-representative, studies of students (both FE and HE) in recent years exploring issues relating to finance. However, aside from a small number of academics exploring the relationship between social class, HE funding policies, student loan debt and educational inequalities (both quantitative and qualitative studies), there has not been a great deal of research in this area, and there is a lack of representative studies. Another limitation and finding from this consideration of the available evidence is that some of it is dated. This is indicative of the overall lack of research undertaken in Scotland in recent years with regards to student funding and its impact on student wellbeing. It is hoped that this current Student Finance and Wellbeing Study (2023-2024) (Scottish Government, 2024) will help to address some of these gaps and provide more up to date evidence.