Student Awards in Scotland: 1999-00
A Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication
Statistics on Student Awards in Scotland: 1999-00 are published today
by the Scottish Executive.
This news release updates figures published in a statistical bulletin in March
2000. It contains information on the numbers of full time students on Higher
Education courses who received awards through the Student Awards Agency for
Scotland in this year and the costs of these awards.
The main points are as follows:
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The Student Awards Agency for Scotland assessed 106,215 students for student
support in 1999-00.
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The majority of students who received support (70.6 per cent) were undertaking
courses in Higher Education Institutions in Scotland.
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There was a steady growth in both the number and percentage of full time
students undertaking Higher Education courses who received support in Further
Education Institutions between 1992-93 and 1996-97. This levelled off at
around one quarter of students in 1997-98 and 1998-99, and shows a decrease
in 1999-00.
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There was a fall in the number of first year students supported by SAAS
between 1998-99 and 1999-00, from 43,622 to 42,074.
-
Tables on expenditure and student support are being worked on and will
be published as soon as possible.
Tables
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1992-93 to 1999-00
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Table1
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Student awards by place of study and type of establishment
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Table 2
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Student awards by level of study
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Table 3
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Student awards by sex
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1997-98 to 1999-00
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Table 4
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Student awards by location of study and level of course
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Table 5
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First Year Student awards by level of study and age
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Table 6
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Student Support Assessment of Residual Income
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INVITATION TO COMMENT
If you would like to comment on what additional analyses you would find
useful, please respond to Martin Boyle, whose address is at the end.
NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS
1. The information presented in this News Release is provided by the Student
Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS), and analysed by the Scottish Executive.
2. The Student Awards Agency for Scotland administers the student support arrangements
for Scottish domiciled students studying throughout the UK and EU students studying
in Scotland.
3. There was a change to student support arrangements between 1997-98 and 1998-99,
with the introduction of student liability for tuition fees. The session 1998-99
was a transitional year in which the level of grant available to new entrants
was reduced while the amount of loan rose. The split was approximately 25% grant
and 75% loan (existing students continued on the previous arrangements of 50%
grant and 50% loan). In 1999-2000, a wholly loan based system of student support
was introduced. As a result, in some instances, figures for 1997-98, 1998-99
and 1999-00 are not directly comparable.
4. The amount of maintenance payable to the student was dependent on the unearned
income of the student as well as his/her parents’ (or spouse’s) income.
5. The main rates of support for undergraduate and postgraduate students rose
by 2.5% in 1999-00.
6. Most full-time first degree courses and equivalent level qualifications
are included in the Student Allowances Scheme, as well as the postgraduate teaching
qualifications and some sub-degree courses. Certain other postgraduate qualifications
are covered by the Postgraduate Students’ Allowances Scheme.
7. There was a change in the computer system used by the Awards Agency between
1996-97 and 1997-98. As a result, more, and different information, is now available
for analysis than previously. However, information is missing for some variables
for a handful of students in 1997-98 onwards, as some of the tables show.
8. Another consequence of the change in computer system at the Agency is in
the coding of the level of qualification which the student is undertaking. Some
of the qualification types do not obviously fall into postgraduate / first degree
/ other undergraduate levels. As a result, these have been coded at first degree
level.
9. In 1999-00 support for new entrants consisted of up to 3 elements: a contribution
to tuition fees by the Awards Agency, as appropriate (paid directly to the institution
of study); living cost support through a loan; and, in some cases, supplementary
grants (for example, for students with dependants, disabilities, etc).
10. The residual income of the parent(s) or spouse of the student was calculated
as the total income from all sources (including earned income from employment,
income from property / pensions / benefits, and interest from savings, etc.)
less allowable deductions (such as superannuation contributions, retirement
annuity premiums, life assurance premiums, interest paid on loans, allowances
for dependants, etc.). The residual income was then used as the basis for means
testing for maintenance and fees, as appropriate.
11. The definitions used for type of qualification are:
11.1. Postgraduate - students attending courses where a first degree qualification
is an entry requirement. This includes students doing research or on a course
leading to a higher degree, postgraduate diploma or equivalent.
11.2. First Degree - students on courses leading to a first degree or equivalent.
11.3. Other Undergraduate - students on courses classified as higher education
but not classified as postgraduate or first degree, such as HNCs and HNDs.
12. Information about bursaries awarded by the further education institutions
is published by the Scottish Further Education Funding Council. The latest publication
was in January 2000, covering bursaries in 1998-99, which can be found on the
SFEFC website at http://www.sfefc.ac.uk/sfefc/content/sfefc/festats/factsfig/9899/bursaries/bursary.html
13. This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced
to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice.
They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer
needs. They are produced free from any political interference.
14. This news release and the associated tables listed above are published
on the internet on the Scottish Executive website: www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/educ.htm
For further information (non-media), enquiries and comments on this news release,
please contact:
Martin Boyle
Scottish Executive
Further & Higher Education Statistics
1st Floor
Europa Building
Glasgow G28LG
Tel. (0141) 242 0270
Fax. (0141) 242 0265
E-mail martin.boyle@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
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