PLANS for a radical shake-up of the way students are supported in Scotland needs "serious new investment", ministers have been told.
The call comes after the independent Review of Student Support recommended those studying in both universities and colleges should be guaranteed £8,100 in financial support.
READ MORE: Our exclusive from September on the plans
Luke Humberstone, president of student body NUS Scotland, said: "The current student support system is broken. The poorest students in higher education are forced to take the greatest debt, while further education students have no guarantees that they'll be entitled to any support.
"We welcome the proposals to give the same level of support to Scotland's further and higher education students. Whether you're studying at college or university, the cost of living doesn't change and neither should the level of student support available."
As the Herald revealed in September, the review recommended £8,100 in support should be provided to all students through a mixture of loans and means-tested bursaries - with those studying at college and university given equal access to financial help.
The proposal is part of a series of recommendations following a year-long independent review into student support, commissioned by the Scottish Government.
READ MORE: Our analysis on the plans
The report also calls for student loans to be made available to college students, and for these to be written off for those who then finish university.
Review group chairwoman Jayne-Anne Gadhia, Virgin Money chief executive officer, said: "Our recommendations are based on a New Social Contract for Students in Scotland.
"They would ensure that further and higher education are valued equally - with entitlement to support for students across both sectors. And in return, more students from diverse backgrounds will have the chance to become successful graduates, for the social and economic good of Scotland.
"The establishment of a Minimum Student Income is an essential step forward in delivering fairness, and helping to ensure that money is no longer a reason for dropping out of courses.
"Non-repayable bursaries will continue to be focused on those from the lowest income backgrounds. And students can, if they so wish, access high quality student loans - on the best terms in the UK."
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Shirley-Anne Somerville, added: "The report sets out a number of recommendations that would fundamentally change the way students in Scotland are supported financially.
"It is only right that we now take the time to consider these recommendations in detail - and as part of current and future Budget processes. We will set out our next steps in due course."
She said government wants to ensure "all students, especially those in our most deprived communities, are provided with the financial support they need to succeed" and is investing a "record amount" in student support.
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland, said: “The Scottish Government should take bold steps to ensure that student support is enhanced to promote equity of opportunity for all learners.
"We believe a return to a system of student grants and the removal of the prospect of debt from student loans would both widen access to education and provide a knock-on boost to Scotland’s economy."
READ MORE: How the review was announced in 2016
Experts recommend college students - currently ineligible for student loans - can access a bursary of up to £4,050 and loans of up to £4,050.
Under the proposals, university students under 25 would retain current current bursary levels with loans increasing by around £500.
The report states the "major change in approach" would give students the equivalent of the Scottish Government's Living Wage and cost an extra £16 million a year in bursaries.
The option was one of three considered - keeping the status quo for bursaries and increasing loans at no immediate extra cost or having a 50/50 bursary and loan split for both college and university students, costing up to £123 million a year extra in bursaries.
The report endorses SNP manifesto pledges cut the loan write-off period by five year to 30, keep interest rates low an up the student loan repayment threshold to £22,000 - urging ministers to consider raising it to £25,000.
Further recommendations include creating a new payment for students do not lose out on benefit entitlement due to loans or bursaries, retaining discretionary funding and giving more flexibility on when money is received.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here