A new financial support package for Scottish students will be the ”best in the UK”, according to a student leader.
The measures announced by the Scottish Government include bursaries and loans to provide a minimum income for the poorest students of £7,250.
Loans of £4,500 will be made available to all students regardless of income, and fees for part-time students abolished for those earning less than £25,000 a year.
Robin Parker, Scotland president of the National Union of Students, said it was a victory after years of campaigning.
”From next year, Scotland will have the best support package in the whole of the UK available to college and university students studying at higher education level.
”We’ve always said that getting an education should be about your ability, not your ability to pay.
”If students don’t have enough money to get by then we know their studies can suffer, too often taking on too much paid work, getting into commercial debt, or worst of all dropping out.
”We need to provide enough support to students in order to get the most out of our most talented people and we hope these announcements will do just that.”
The support package, which will come into force for the 2013/14 academic term, was announced by Education Secretary Mike Russell.