NUS Scotland “if MSPs don’t support students now they won’t receive their support at the ballot box”
Ahead of the publication of the Scottish budget on the 13th of January and the Scottish elections in May, the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland has issued a stark ultimatum to the Scottish Government: invest in education now or risk the collapse of Scotland’s colleges and universities.
As the last budget before the next Scottish election NUS Scotland is asking for the Scottish Government to use this opportunity to demonstrate to students that it cares. The union is calling for a reversal of the managed decline of higher and further education in Scotland, demanding no cuts, a real-terms funding increase, and the delivery of promised student support reforms.
Warning that the sector is at a critical moment NUS Scotland is echoing concerns from trade unions and sector bodies that years of underfunding have left institutions, particularly colleges, in a dangerously precarious position.
The Crisis in Scotland’s Colleges
NUS Scotland highlighted the disproportionate impact of funding cuts on Scotland’s colleges, which serve some of the most deprived communities in the country. Referencing recent warnings from sector body Colleges Scotland and trade union EIS-FELA (Further Education Lecturers Association), the student union noted that without urgent investment, the sector faces a critical moment where essential courses could be cut and campuses closed.
Recent data suggests that up to 11 colleges could face effective insolvency without a funding correction. With colleges vital to the Scottish Government’s own goal of eradicating child poverty, NUS Scotland argues that underfunding colleges is effectively cutting off a lifeline for working-class students.
NUS Scotland is calling for the Scottish Government to deliver three key priorities in the 2026-27 Budget:
- No cuts to college or university funding: Rule out any cuts to the core funding necessary for students’ education and staff livelihoods.
- A real-terms increase in tertiary education funding: Investment that exceeds inflation to repair damage done by previous years of underfunding and to secure the long-term viability of institutions.
- A real-terms increase in maintenance support for students: An increase in the maximum basic maintenance support to match the Real Living Wage, restoring the commitment the Government made in previous years before sliding back to a real-terms freeze in the last budget.
NUS Scotland President, Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan, said:
"Students in Scotland are watching this government’s final budget before the election closely. For too long, we have heard warm words about the value of education, while watching our colleges and universities crumble under the weight of underfunding.
"Education is the single best economic investment we can make. It is a social good that drives our economy and our society. To do anything other than fund it properly now is short-sighted vandalism that will cost Scotland dearly in the long run."
"Our colleges are the engines of social mobility. When you cut college funding, you aren't just trimming a spreadsheet; you are closing the door on opportunity for the working class. The Scottish Government cannot claim to be tackling poverty while defunding the very institutions that help people escape it.
"If MSPs don’t support students now they won’t receive their support at the ballot box. We need a budget that funds our future. That means no cuts, a real-terms reinvestment in our institutions, and finally keeping the promise to students on support that actually matches the cost of living.”
