Written Question · S5W-18403 · Session 5
How many people have graduated with outstanding student loans in each year since 1999; what proportion from each year has now completed the…
The question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have graduated with outstanding student loans in each year since 1999; what proportion from each year has now completed their repayments, and what the (a) average and (b) highest amount is that a graduate from each year still has outstanding.
The answer
The Student Loans Company (SLC) provides statistics on loan outlays, repayments and borrower repayment status for Scotland domiciled students studying in Higher Education (HE) in the UK and EU students studying in Scotland. The figures cover Income Contingent Loans (ICR), which were introduced in 1998-99, for financial years up to and including 2017-18.
Most of the statistics requested are published in the background tables in the ‘Student Loans for Higher Education in Scotland: financial year 2017-18’ publication and available from the SLC website https://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/scotland.aspx . The numbers are reproduced below, with the table references indicating the source of the data on the website.
Repayment of ICR student loans
Repayment cohort
No. borrowers (thousands)
[Table 3i]
Proportion completed repayments
[Table 3ii]
Average amount outstanding (£)
[Table 5iii]
2000
9.4
42.5%
6,650
2001
13.2
39.7%
7,170
2002
21.2
35.9%
8,030
2003
34.0
41.8%
7,830
2004
34.7
41.8%
7,710
2005
34.5
41.8%
7,640
2006
33.0
39.6%
7,760
2007
31.2
37.4%
7,650
2008
28.7
35.7%
7,580
2009
27.1
31.8%
7,690
2010
27.7
27.8%
7,850
2011
27.8
23.6%
8,060
2012
24.7
19.2%
8,650
2013
26.1
14.3%
9,220
2014
29.2
9.9%
9,680
2015
29.9
4.9%
11,220
2016
35.3
2.6%
11,480
2017
33.8
1.8%
11,650
2018
33.8
1.2%
13,230
Source: Student Loans for Higher Education in Scotland: financial year 2017-18
Notes:SLC records do not distinguish between graduates and those in further study, and so the figures refer to the broader term of ‘borrowers’.The year of Repayment Cohort represents those borrowers who became liable to repay in April of that year.The Loan Balance for cohorts up to and including the 2016 cohort represents the position after the processing of the 2016-17 tax returns. The latest known Loan Balance for the 2017 cohort is at 31-03-2017 on entry into the 2017-18 tax year. The latest known Loan Balance for the 2018 cohort is at 31-03-2018 on entry into the 2018-19 tax year.The proportion who has completed repayments includes those who have had their loan cancelled, mostly due to either death or disability.Within each cohort there is a proportion of borrowers who will at some point return to higher education and take out additional loans to cover costs of tuition and/or living costs. This debt is also included in the statistics above and this explains why the outstanding debt increases in the years after entering repayment rather than decreasing as may be expected.All numbers refer to borrowers who received loans as Scottish domiciled students studying in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK, or as EU domiciled students studying in Scotland.
Information on the highest amount still outstanding has been supplied by SLC and has been included below.
Highest Outstanding Loan Balances For Scottish Funded Borrowers
Repayment cohort
Highest amount outstanding (£)
2000
79,500
2001
66,500
2002
76,900
2003
72,200
2004
74,700
2005
59,300
2006
82,300
2007
71,900
2008
68,000
2009
71,900
2010
65,100
2011
65,200
2012
80,000
2013
66,600
2014
64,800
2015
67,100
2016
71,400
2017
76,700
2018
74,700
Source: Student Loans Company
Notes:Only customers where all of their outstanding loans are Scottish domiciled loans are included.Customers domiciled in Scotland, but studying elsewhere are included.Income Contingent Loan products included in the selection are
- SS (Student Support), SE (Scottish Graduate Endowment), FL (Fee Loans), TL (Transitional Loans), & PT (Part Time Loans).Only loans with a Statutory Repayment Due Date on or before 06-04-2018 are included
- i.e. excludes loans not yet in repayment.The cohort is defined as the minimum Statutory Repayment Due Date (SRDD) for the customer.Customers with multiple SRDDs are included.The Outstanding balance is defined as the sum of the customer's interest be
Most of the statistics requested are published in the background tables in the ‘Student Loans for Higher Education in Scotland: financial year 2017-18’ publication and available from the SLC website https://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/scotland.aspx . The numbers are reproduced below, with the table references indicating the source of the data on the website.
Repayment of ICR student loans
Repayment cohort
No. borrowers (thousands)
[Table 3i]
Proportion completed repayments
[Table 3ii]
Average amount outstanding (£)
[Table 5iii]
2000
9.4
42.5%
6,650
2001
13.2
39.7%
7,170
2002
21.2
35.9%
8,030
2003
34.0
41.8%
7,830
2004
34.7
41.8%
7,710
2005
34.5
41.8%
7,640
2006
33.0
39.6%
7,760
2007
31.2
37.4%
7,650
2008
28.7
35.7%
7,580
2009
27.1
31.8%
7,690
2010
27.7
27.8%
7,850
2011
27.8
23.6%
8,060
2012
24.7
19.2%
8,650
2013
26.1
14.3%
9,220
2014
29.2
9.9%
9,680
2015
29.9
4.9%
11,220
2016
35.3
2.6%
11,480
2017
33.8
1.8%
11,650
2018
33.8
1.2%
13,230
Source: Student Loans for Higher Education in Scotland: financial year 2017-18
Notes:SLC records do not distinguish between graduates and those in further study, and so the figures refer to the broader term of ‘borrowers’.The year of Repayment Cohort represents those borrowers who became liable to repay in April of that year.The Loan Balance for cohorts up to and including the 2016 cohort represents the position after the processing of the 2016-17 tax returns. The latest known Loan Balance for the 2017 cohort is at 31-03-2017 on entry into the 2017-18 tax year. The latest known Loan Balance for the 2018 cohort is at 31-03-2018 on entry into the 2018-19 tax year.The proportion who has completed repayments includes those who have had their loan cancelled, mostly due to either death or disability.Within each cohort there is a proportion of borrowers who will at some point return to higher education and take out additional loans to cover costs of tuition and/or living costs. This debt is also included in the statistics above and this explains why the outstanding debt increases in the years after entering repayment rather than decreasing as may be expected.All numbers refer to borrowers who received loans as Scottish domiciled students studying in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK, or as EU domiciled students studying in Scotland.
Information on the highest amount still outstanding has been supplied by SLC and has been included below.
Highest Outstanding Loan Balances For Scottish Funded Borrowers
Repayment cohort
Highest amount outstanding (£)
2000
79,500
2001
66,500
2002
76,900
2003
72,200
2004
74,700
2005
59,300
2006
82,300
2007
71,900
2008
68,000
2009
71,900
2010
65,100
2011
65,200
2012
80,000
2013
66,600
2014
64,800
2015
67,100
2016
71,400
2017
76,700
2018
74,700
Source: Student Loans Company
Notes:Only customers where all of their outstanding loans are Scottish domiciled loans are included.Customers domiciled in Scotland, but studying elsewhere are included.Income Contingent Loan products included in the selection are
- SS (Student Support), SE (Scottish Graduate Endowment), FL (Fee Loans), TL (Transitional Loans), & PT (Part Time Loans).Only loans with a Statutory Repayment Due Date on or before 06-04-2018 are included
- i.e. excludes loans not yet in repayment.The cohort is defined as the minimum Statutory Repayment Due Date (SRDD) for the customer.Customers with multiple SRDDs are included.The Outstanding balance is defined as the sum of the customer's interest be
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S5W-18403 by reference.