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Issues affecting mature students in higher education

This report, produced by the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP), explores the experiences of adults considering, entering, or progressing through higher education in Scotland. Commissioned by The Robertson Trust, the research draws on survey responses and focus group discussions with prospective, current, and former students. SWAP, a longstanding widening access partnership of all colleges and universities in Scotland, supports adult returners - many of whom are first in their family to attend university, single parents, or from areas of high deprivation - to access higher education. This report shares insights into the barriers these students face and what supports have helped them on their educational journey.
July 2025

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Issues affecting mature students in higher education

This report, produced by the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP), explores the experiences of adults considering, entering, or progressing through higher education in Scotland. Commissioned by The Robertson Trust, the research draws on survey responses and focus group discussions with prospective, current, and former students. SWAP, a longstanding widening access partnership of all colleges and universities in Scotland, supports adult returners - many of whom are first in their family to attend university, single parents, or from areas of high deprivation - to access higher education. This report shares insights into the barriers these students face and what supports have helped them on their educational journey.

PDF 1.4 MB July 2025

Bursaries, scholarship programmes and the benefits system

This report, produced by Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, explores how scholarship and bursary offers interact with Universal Credit and other key benefits for students. It focuses primarily on mature full-time university students, particularly lone parents, new parents, care-experienced students, and carers. The report also considers these groups in higher education at college, with reference to Carer Support Payment where relevant. A secondary focus is on prospective students earlier in the learner journey, such as school pupils and adult returners. Part-time students, college FE students, and apprentices are covered briefly.

PDF 260.7 KB July 2025

Single Parents and Higher Education: Barriers to access and recommendations for change

Commissioned by The Robertson Trust, this report explores the barriers faced by single parents (SP) in accessing higher education (HE) and offers targeted recommendations to improve inclusivity and support. This research by One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS), through consulting single parents, outlines the financial, structural, and emotional challenges encountered by single parents and highlights necessary policy and institutional reforms.

PDF 503.2 KB July 2025

Impact and Insights Report: Financial Security

Through our Financial Security theme, we want to see a Scotland where people are financially secure and able to live lives free of poverty and poverty-related trauma. This report starts to tell the story about the differences we are contributing to as we seek to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma in Scotland.

PDF 30.9 MB May 2025

Funder Commitment on Climate Change 2024 Report

Our 2024 report as part of the Funder Commitment on Climate Change is now available.

PDF 11.5 MB April 2025
Evaluation of the Robertson Scholarship

Evaluation of the Robertson Scholarship

Eexternal evaluation which carried out by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen). The purpose of this evaluation was to build a fuller picture of how the schoalrship is perceived by scholars and externally and to gain a stronger understanding of which elements contribute to the biggest changes.

PDF 709.8 KB February 2025