Table 5: Students receiving fee support from SAAS and total amount paid, 2003-04 to 2008-09
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
|---|
Students in receipt 1 | Total Amount Paid (£1000s) 2 | Students in receipt 1 | Total Amount Paid (£1000s) 2 | Students in receipt 1 | Total Amount Paid (£1000s) 2 |
|---|
Tuition Fee Total | 111,180 | 127,620 | 109,955 | 129,013 | 110,340 | 132,117 |
|---|
Full fees | 109,045 | 126,006 | 108,230 | 127,664 | 108,535 | 130,705 |
|---|
Half fees | 1,130 | 622 | 795 | 445 | 800 | 456 |
|---|
Other Fees | 1,010 | 993 | 930 | 904 | 1,010 | 956 |
|---|
Fee Loan 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
|---|
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
|---|
Students in receipt 1 | Total Amount Paid (£1000s) 2 | Students in receipt 1 | Total Amount Paid (£1000s) 2 | Students in receipt 1 | Total Amount Paid (£1000s) 2 |
|---|
Tuition Fee Total | 112,610 | 152,145 | 114,100 | 169,528 | 118,055 | 190,638 |
|---|
Full fees | 109,575 | 147,912 | 109,910 | 162,265 | 111,900 | 179,522 |
|---|
Half fees | 830 | 546 | 725 | 457 | 1,045 | 951 |
|---|
Other Fees | 1,245 | 977 | 1,555 | 1,203 | 2,270 | 1,597 |
|---|
Fee Loan 3 | 960 | 2,709 | 1,910 | 5,602 | 2,840 | 8,567 |
|---|
Source: SAAS management information.
1. Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest 5 (e.g. 1, 2 round to 0, 3, 4 round to 5). Cells containing a dash indicate 0 students.
2. Cash totals have been rounded to the nearest thousand and may not equal the sum of their constituent parts due to this rounding. They are quoted in thousands.
3. Fee loans were introduced for eligible students who started their course in academic year 2006-07 and were studying outside Scotland in the rest of the UK.
- Full fees - the normal maximum public fee rate of £1,255 for students continuing from academic year 2005-06 or earlier and for all HNC/ HND level students, £1,775 for first degree level students who entered their course in 2006-07 or later, £2,825 for medical students, and £3,315 for postgraduate students.
- Half fees - paid to students on work placements or those on years abroad where they attend their home institution for less than 10 weeks.
- Other fees - there are a few private institutions that get more than the public fee rate (usually theology-related). This also takes account of the income assessed fees i.e. cases where SAAS pay some of the normal public fee rate and the student pays the rest. In addition students who have had a break of study of a year or more and whose college or university is charging a fee rate higher than £1,255 can have the difference paid by SAAS so they are not penalised by the new higher rates.
- Fee Loans - Eligible students who begin their course of study in 2006-2007 or later, or who are returning after a break in study of a year or more, and are studying outside Scotland, can apply for a non-income assessed fee loan to pay some or all of their fees. The Student Loans Company ( SLC) extends the fee loan to the students who repay them in the same way as maintenance loans.
14. Table 5 shows that 94.8% (111,900) of those receiving tuition fee support receive their full fees. The amount spent in tuition fee support has increased by 12.5% (or £21.1m) from £169.5m in 2007-08 to £190.6 million by 2008-09. This rise is a result of the increased fee rates for public institutions introduced in 2006-07 now being payable for those in their third year, in addition to those in first and second year; a similar situation with fee loans and an increase in student numbers (3.5% since 2007-08). Numbers receiving partial fees and half fees have both increased by around 45% since 2007-08. SAAS carried out an exercise in 2008-09 to properly identify students on placement or exchanges who were previously receiving full fees but who should be getting half fees. It is likely that this exercise is the main reason for the increase in numbers receiving half fees when compared with 2007-08 rather than a real increase in students on such courses.
15. . Fee loans, which were introduced for new entrants in 2006-07, have increased by 45.9% (to 2,840) in terms of student numbers and 32.7% in terms of payments (to £8.6 million) since academic year 2007-08.