Latest editorial
Students during a graduation ceremony, December 14, 2023
SCOTTISH government cuts have slashed support to the poorest students, leaving students £5,000 worse off — and university places are now under threat, according to a leading think tank.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) looked at higher education spending plans published in the SNP-Green draft budget currently making its way through Holyrood.
It found support for the poorest students had been cut by 16 per cent, equal to £1,600 per year, in real terms between 2013-14 and 2022-23, while the latest budget decision to increase borrowing limits by £2,400 could leave graduates £5,000 worse off over the term of the loan.
Cuts are sweeping campuses as cash-strapped universities slash staff and politicians fail to act on a growing funding emergency. VINCE MILLS reports
It is time to stop tolerating the governing elites incompetence which makes our lives a daily misery, argues MATT KERR
Almost half of universities face deficits, merger mania is taking hold, and massive fee hikes that will lock out working-class students are on the horizon, write RUBEN BRETT, PAUL WHITEHOUSE and DAN GRACE