The review shows that students with persistently poor academic performance have more difficulty repaying their student loans, compared to other students. The Swedish National Audit Office believes that a possible measure to reduce the risk of students taking out loans that they have difficulty repaying is to tighten the requalification rules for individuals who repeatedly fail to meet the performance requirement.
– SFS views with concern the National Audit Office's recommendation to tighten the requirements for re-qualifying for study grants. Above all, we see great risks that such a proposal would limit students' opportunities to receive study grants if, for example, they come from homes with no study habits, are in need of special support, have periods of illness, or otherwise make it more difficult for them to achieve the results at the set pace, says Hampus Haugland, chairman of SFS.
The goal of the Swedish student aid system is to have a recruiting effect for women and men regardless of background and contribute to a high level of participation in education, as well as having a positive effect on the national economy over time. SFS does not believe that the Swedish National Audit Office satisfactorily considers the recruiting effect of the student aid in its review.
– Limiting retraining risks having the opposite effect and rather contributing to more unequal recruitment and reduced throughput, as well as preventing lifelong learning. There is also a lack of a comprehensive analysis of the group that ends up with the Swedish Enforcement Authority with debts to CSN and how the financial conditions for that group can be strengthened. Making it more difficult for them to study is not a solution to poverty, says Hampus Haugland.
The National Audit Office also points out that the weeks of study funding are not enough for students on long courses, such as medical education, and that students must start repaying their student loans before they have completed their studies and established themselves in the labor market.
– The current system does not work for students who are studying long courses, and it is good that the National Audit Office is drawing attention to this. We now hope that the government's ongoing investigation into student funding will capture the need for extended student funding in its upcoming proposals, says Hampus Haugland.