Higher and Further Education Students’ Income, Expenditure and Debt in Scotland 2004-2005
This report is about the income, expenditure and debt of full time students in higher<br />
education (HE) and further education (FE) in Scotland in 2004/05. It is based on<br />
research, commissioned by the Scottish Executive, conducted by Professor Claire<br />
Callender of London South Bank University, the Policy Studies Institute, and NOP<br />
Research Ltd.<br />
<br />
While studies in the past have examined the finances of undergraduates attending<br />
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Scotland, this is the first study also to explore<br />
in-depth the finances of FE College students taking undergraduate courses and nonadvanced<br />
courses.<br />
<br />
The main aims of the study were to collect comprehensive data on full time students'<br />
income, expenditure and debt, and to identify any differences by students' socioeconomic<br />
and institutional characteristics. The study was based on a survey of<br />
nationally representative samples of Scottish domiciled full time HE and FE students<br />
drawn from 15 Higher Education Institutions and 20 Further Education Colleges<br />
(FECs) across Scotland. Face to face interviews were conducted between January<br />
and May 2005 with a total 1,317 students, consisting of 832 undergraduates studying<br />
at both HEIs and FECs, and 485 students studying at FECs taking a variety of nonadvanced<br />
courses.