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 />

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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 />

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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.