The average Scottish medical student today will graduate over £16,000 in debt according to a BMA study released today -  around 50 per cent more than the average graduate debts of £11,160.

The BMA surveyed nearly 2,000 medical students, 13 per cent of whom are studying in Scotland. Of that population, more than 80 per cent have a student loan, 55 per cent have a bank overdraft averaging £1,426 and nearly 60 per cent admitted to having at least one credit card.

The Scottish Government has made a commitment to eliminate the graduate endowment and to tackle student debt.  Currently, the income from graduate endowments is used to fund bursaries. BMA Scotland is calling for a commitment from the Government to ensure that funding for these bursaries is continued if the endowment is abolished.

The chair of the BMA’s Scottish Medical Students Committee, Anna Riemen, said:  “The prospect of graduating with such extreme levels of debt is a huge deterrent for individuals who aspire to a career in medicine.  A large number of medical students rely on financial support from friends or family but for some this is just not possible.  A career in medicine should be determined by academic ability, not affordability.

“If government is serious about its intentions to widen access to medicine, then we need to find ways to help students get through their education without running up massive amounts of debt in the process.

“We welcome the Government’s plans to abolish the graduate endowment as this will remove a significant barrier to education.  However it is only a small part of the overall debt burden on students and the wider issue of student debt needs to be addressed.  In addition, students from outwith Scotland or those studying second degrees do not receive the same support and are liable for tuition fees of up to £2,700 a year creating even more financial pressure.

“It is important that any changes that seek to alleviate student debt do not leave Scotland’s higher education establishments at a competitive disadvantage.  We would therefore support calls for an independent review of higher education funding, with full student representation, to ensure that Scotland’s universities are appropriately funded to compete with universities in the rest of the UK and further a field.”

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