What is the Digital Provision Scheme?
The Digital Provision Scheme has been introduced by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council to help alleviate digital poverty by providing students with the necessary digital equipment to engage in learning. The scheme will allow for students who are in most need to apply for loaned equipment in order to support their learning.
How the scheme works
We will assess your eligibility using the criteria in the Eligibility section and contact you if we need further evidence of meeting the eligibility criteria. If you are eligible, we will contact you with further details on how to collect your equipment. The scheme and its equipment are subject to availability and all equipment is owned by Robert Gordon University, you will be ‘loaned’ this equipment for the duration of your time at RGU.
Successful applicants will be expected to sign a loan agreement, detailing the terms of the device loan, and expectations of both parties.
If you have any questions about the scheme, please email: digitalprovision@rgu.ac.uk
Apply
Please ensure you read the scheme’s guidance note in full, prior to submitting an application.
Applications without the correct supporting evidence will not be considered.
The online application form requires an RGU username and password. If you are an offer holder with an RGU student number, but are yet to enrol, contact digitalprovision@rgu.ac.uk for an alternative application form.
Eligibility
You must be an enrolled student on a full time or part time degree course at RGU in order to apply for the Digital Provision Scheme.
In addition to mandatory eligibility criteria, there is key criteria depending on your student status (Scottish Domiciled, RUK or International).
Scottish Students
If you are registered as a Home (Scottish Domiciled) student and you meet the following criteria, you will automatically be eligible to apply to the scheme:
- Living in an SIMD10/SIMD20 postcode area
- Identified as a Care Experienced student
- Identified as being estranged from family
- If the applicant is in receipt of discretionary/hardship funding or if the applicant’s current annual household income is below £34,000 or if they are in receipt of social benefits such as Universal Credit
Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland
If you are registered as a Rest of UK (RUK) student, and you meet the following criteria are also invited to apply:
- Identified as Statutory Care Leaver (NI, Wales, England)
- Identified as being estranged from family
- If the applicant is in receipt of discretionary/hardship funding or if the applicant’s current annual household income is below £34,000 or if they are in receipt of social benefits such as Universal Credit
International Students
There are also a small number of devices available for International Students. If you are an International student, and meet the following criteria, you are also invited to apply:
- If the applicant is in receipt of discretionary funding from the International Students’ Emergency Fund (detailing that the student has faced unexpected financial difficulties).
- If the applicant has been found to be experiencing a period of unexpected financial hardship (including if the applicant has unexpected personal or medical needs that are causing you financial difficulty). You must be able to show that your financial circumstances have changed since you began your course.
Those receiving other funding
If students are receiving funding from other sources, you may not be eligible for the Digital Provision Scheme.
Applicants will not be eligible to receive the full relevant allowance in this policy if you already receive and will continue to receive funding from a different source to provide access to online learning such as; through the Connecting Scotland Initiative, or if you are classed as a disabled student who are in receipt of an allowance, such as the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) or Additional Support Needs (ASN) funding, that covers the purchase of the necessary technology the students require to support their own additional support needs).
Applications without correct supporting evidence will not be considered.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the Digital Provision Scheme, please email us at: digitalprovision@rgu.ac.uk