Childcare Funding
From session 2011-2012, the Lone Parent Childcare Grant (£1,215) will be administered directly by publicly funded colleges and universities via their Childcare Fund.
This means that you will no longer apply to SAAS for this grant but instead you should apply to your college or university.
This change will remove the additional administrative burden placed on students who currently have to apply to two separate places for childcare funding (SAAS and the college/university).
Travel Expenses – Student Loan
From 2011-2012, support for travel costs will be part of the student loan. As a result, the maximum income-assessed loan will be increased by £350, providing students from lower income backgrounds with a support package of approximately £6,200.
This change increases the cash available to higher education students by approximately £10m per annum. It also means that there will no longer be a separate travel reimbursement application process and that students will know the total level of funds available to them at the start of their course.
Nursing students and those undertaking one of the Allied Health
Professions will continue to be eligible to claim expenses for placements. Students who are unable to use public transport as a result of a disability can continue to apply for reimbursement of those additional travel expenses.
European Union - previous funding
From session 2011-2012, SAAS will include any government support from an EU member state when assessing new applications for tuition fee funding.
This means that new students who have successfully completed a degree with government support from any EU member state will not be eligible to apply to SAAS for tuition fee support for any subsequent course at a similar or lower level.
For those students who started their course before session 2011-2012, we will not take any support they receive from an EU member state (other than the UK) into account. This will remain the case for the duration of their course. This change relates to the main student support programme and does not impact on nursing students.
Payment of Tuition Fee Differentials
Tuition fees charged by Scottish HE Institutions, and paid by SAAS for Scottish domiciled and non-UK EU students, were increased significantly in 2006 following the introduction of variable tuition fees in England and Wales.
At that time, the Scottish Government made arrangements for SAAS to pay the differential between the old and new level of fees for self-funding students. Self-funding students are those who are repeating a year due to academic failure or who have chosen to study at the same level for a second time.
This concession was intended to avoid unexpected additional costs falling on students who had a reasonable expectation that their tuition fees would simply increase from 2005 levels in line with inflation.
The concession was a transitional measure and the new level of tuition fees is now well established. From 2011-2012, the fee differential concession is being phased out. Existing students currently in receipt of the fee differential will not be affected by this change for their current course.
New self-funding students who can demonstrate they had a reasonable expectation that SAAS would meet the cost of the fee differential for their proposed course can be considered under our Appeals Process. Such students will need to prove that they had previously sought and received appropriate advice from either SAAS or their institution.
Self funding students will remain eligible for student loans and living cost grants subject to the standard income assessment rules. This potentially provides in excess of £6,000 for those from the lowest income households.