NUS Scotland President Ellie Gomersall: ‘Scotland cannot hope to eliminate poverty and inequality without the contribution of colleges’

NUS Scotland President Ellie Gomersall: peak fares are anti-student and anti-worker – they must be permanently scrapped

NUS Scotland President Ellie Gomersall challenges John Swinney to reverse college cuts and invest in education

NUS Scotland: tertiary education system in Scotland is broken and failing students 

Download the full report here (PDF)

Download the plain text version here (Word)

Individual chapters can be found at the bottom of the page. 

Broke Students, Broken System outlines that students in Scotland are being let down by a dysfunctional system, in which decision making is influenced primarily by market forces rather than student experience, wellbeing, or outcomes. 

It acknowledges some progress in Higher and Further education reform since Scottish devolution 25 years ago but concludes that progress seems to have come to a halt, with Scotland’s education policy instead settling into a pattern defined by underfunding and a lack of ambition.  

NUS Scotland set to release report detailing the crises facing Scotland's further and higher education

After the Scottish Government published its draft budget statement for 2024/25, NUS Scotland has welcomed the recent increase in student finance for HE students - but warned the continued underfunding of the sector is having dire consequences.

As the cost of living crisis continues to hit students hard, the Scottish Government’s new announcement of a £2,400 uplift to financial support for higher education students is a big win for the student movement.

NUS Scotland is pleased that the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government for the next year will benefits students who use the train to get to class and who rent in the private rental sector, but urges the government to go further in increasing the rights of students in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and by increasing student financial support for all.

NUS Scotland calls on the Scottish Government to “follow through” on their commitment to increased student support after the Royal Bank of Scotland releases report that shows Scottish cities are less affordable for students than London. 

Scotland’s students should be at the heart of designing a new funding model for higher and further education says NUS Scotland President, Ellie Gomersall.