Each year, the Committee looks at how the Scottish Government spends money on education, children and young people. The Committee focused this budget-related work on the impact of spending on the delivery of outcomes.

This year, the Committee agreed to focus on college and university funding and looked at the current funding settlement. The Committee also considered the sustainability of funding in the years ahead, taking into account the impact of tightening public spending and potential upcoming reforms.

University funding

The Committee explored the financial sustainability of universities, looking at:

• the current funding settlement
• considerations around longer-term sustainability
• the social and economic impact of sector funding

Recent reports exploring university funding formed part of this scrutiny, including:

• the Scottish Funding Council report on the financial sustainability of universities in Scotland 2020-21 to 2024-25
• The Institute for Fiscal Studies report on higher education spending in Scotland
• London Economics’ comparative study of higher education funding across the UK

College funding

The Committee explored the financial sustainability of colleges, looking at:

• the current funding settlement
• longer-term sustainability
• the social and economic impact of sector funding

The Committee considered recent reports as part of its scrutiny of college funding, including:

• Fraser of Allander Institute report on the economic contribution of colleges in Scotland
• Audit Scotland briefing paper on Scotland’s colleges 2023

Find out more about the Committee’s scrutiny of colleges and universities in previous years

The Committee reported its findings to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and the relevant Ministers before the Scottish Budget was published.