Scottish Government asked to help "address summer support gap"
NUS Scotland is asking the Government to help students who could struggle financially throughout the summer
There's a call for the Scottish Government to step in and help "address the summer support gap" for students.
NUS Scotland say their findings suggest 54% of students find it difficult to cope financially during the Summer months - where grants and loan money isn't paid out.
The union say the cost of living crisis will only make this worse.
President Matt Crilly is calling on the Scottish Government to make good on a pledge made in 2021 to review the support for students.
He said:
"Many students across Scotland have now received their last student support of the year and face yet another long summer without any upfront financial support. Coupled with the rising cost of living, the poorest students will be hit hard unless the Scottish Government takes action.
“During the Scottish Parliament elections, the First Minister pledged to look at the introduction of summer grants but progress on the government’s summer support review has been painfully slow.
“Our survey of over 3,500 students found that over half found coping financially during the summer difficult and 12 per cent had experienced homelessness since starting their studies – Scotland will continue to fail its students if we don’t address the summer support gap.
“The Scottish Government has shown that where there is a will they will find a way to provide cost-of-living support to households – they should do so now by issuing a Student Summer Payment to ensure no student falls into poverty this summer.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We understand this is a tough time for many students. Since last June we have distributed more than £37 million in Discretionary Funds to colleges and universities to support students facing financial hardship throughout the year, including over the summer months.
“In February, Further and Higher Education Minister Jamie Hepburn wrote to College and University Principals asking them to continue to prioritise the allocation of these hardship funds to those students most in need, and to take account of the impact of the rising cost of living.
“We continue to work closely with NUS and stakeholders on reviewing the support available to students over the summer.”