Ability to learn, or ability to pay? How family and finance influence young people’s higher education decisions in Scotland

Abstract

Scottish Government policy explicitly frames higher education (HE) as a public good, stating that access should be based on the ‘ability to learn rather than the ability to pay’. But while Scotland’s system of free tuition distinguishes it from the rest of the UK, students must still fund their living costs and most do so through a combination of parental contributions, student loans, bursaries and part-time work. This chapter explores the ways in which young people’s HE decisions are bounded by family and finance. Longitudinal semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 young people and their parents before and during their time in HE. The research finds that despite free tuition, the ‘ability to pay’ constrains young people’s institutional and accommodation decisions. It illustrates how students’ horizons for action are broadened and limited by their family backgrounds, challenging the popular misconception that Scottish students are more immune to financial considerations in their HE decisions than in the rest of the UK, and that the system is thus fairer. While finance is but one of many factors influencing HE decisions, the living costs associated with HE study continue to reproduce inequalities in HE transitions.