Student Awards Agency for Scotland
BUIDHEANN TABHARTAIS OILEANACH NA H-ALBATo J.G.D Taylor
By email: / Gyleview House
3 Redheughs Rigg
Edinburgh
EH12 9HH
Telephone/ Fòn: 0131244 5883
Fax/ Facs: 0131244 5887
Our ref/ Ar comh: RAG 3777
19 January 2012
Dear J.G.D Taylor
Thank you for your email of 15 January 2012, requesting information under the Freedom of Information(FOI) (Scotland) Act2002. I am replying in my capacity as the Agency’s Operational Policy Manager.
While we make every effort to comply with such requests, under the terms of section 12 of the Freedom of Information (FOI) (Scotland) Act 2002, we need not comply with a request for information if we estimate that the cost of doing so exceeds the upper cost limit of £600. In this instance the cost of collating the specific information you request on successful and unsuccessful second degree applications would exceed that limit, as to do so would require a manual review of the documents attached to well over 30,000 applications.
The specific criteria we use in assessing eligibility for second first degree students are that generally, we will not pay tuition fees on behalf of students who completed their first degree on a full-time basis and received help from UK or other EU public funds. There are some exceptions to this rule, which are mostly medical/health related courses. Second degree students are however eligible to apply for a student loan for living costs and for any relevant supplementary awards.
There were some changes to the eligibility criteria for tuition fee support in 2011-12. Between 2006-07 and 2010-11, eligible second first degree students could receive partial tuition fee support. This was introduced in 2006-07 to avoid self-funding students getting an unexpected increase in costs when fees increased to prevent excess cross-border flows of students.It was removed in 2011-12 (2012-13 for medical students) for new students as the new level of fees was now well-established and no self-funding student considering starting a Higher Education course from 2011-12 should have held an expectation that they will not have to bear the full cost of the new tuition fees.
Also in 2011-12, it was confirmed that students from the European Union (EU) should be assessed under the same rules as UK students regarding previous study. If any EU student had completed a first degree with support from their own country (or another member state) then they would no longer be eligible for tuition fee support from SAAS for a second first degree.
The legislative basis for student support in Scotland is made under the Education (Student Loans) (Scotland) Regulations 2007, as amended, and the Students’ Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2007, as amended. Although legislation does not specify the rules on previous study, it allows Scottish Ministers to determine the rules and this is published in the annual SAAS literature and on our website. I am not aware that Scottish Government policy on the funding of second degrees would breach anyother European or UK legislation.
If you are unhappy with this response to your request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review, by writing to Tracey Slaven, Chief Executive, SAAS, Gyleview House, 3 Redheughs Rigg, Edinburgh, EH12 9HH. Your request should explain why you wish a review to be carried out, and should be made within 40 working days of receipt of this letter, and we will reply within 20 working days of receipt. The review will be undertaken by staff not involved with your original request. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to make a formal complaint to the Scottish Information Commissioner.
The supply of information under FOI does not constitute permission for their re-use in such a way that would infringe copyright. You should obtain permission from the copyholder before any such use.
Yours sincerely,
ALAN SCOTT
Operational Policy Manager
/ RAG 3777 / An agency of the Scottish GovernmentBuidheann de Riaghaltas na h-Alba