SFC news published since 2018. See SFC archived content for earlier news articles.
Photo: Dundee and Angus College
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has published its latest report on the outcomes of people finishing their course at college.
Amongst the report’s key findings is that more students successfully completed their course in 2024-25 than in the previous academic year. There were year-on-year increases at both higher and further education levels and for full and part time students. Full time higher education study saw the largest increase in successful completion, up 5.4 percentage points.
The report suggests the reasons for the increase may include recovery from the negative impacts of the strike action that took place in many colleges in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Colleges themselves noted the positive effect of new measures such as targeted learner support.
The wider adoption of targeted learner support, alongside other changes such as trauma-informed practice and additional staff training, has been one of the benefits of recently introduced self-evaluation and action plans. Part of Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework, the plans were developed by SFC in partnership with the college sector.
Tertiary Education Minister Ben Macpherson said:
“These statistics show improvements in college attainment levels – that we can all continue to build on – and the Scottish Government will continue to work with the sector to help students overcome barriers to learning and to reach their full potential.
“The Scottish Government passionately recognises the important role that colleges play in our communities, the economy, and supporting people to get the skills they need to succeed. That is why the 2026-27 budget has delivered a combined increase of £70 million in resource and capital funding for our colleges, equivalent to 10% uplift on last year’s budget, taking our total investment in core college funding to over three quarters of a billion pounds.”
Commenting on the findings, Martin Boyle, Chief Operating Officer at the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“The rise in the percentage of college students successfully finishing their course is great news for the sector and for individual students. It’s also great news for businesses looking for the skills and abilities students acquire in completing a course at college.
“Statistical reports such as this one and others produced by the Scottish Funding Council provide important insights into the college sector and help drive improvement and innovation.”
The latest College Student Outcome report is now available on the SFC website.
