Cost of educating English students ‘price worth paying’ under independence

By CHRIS MARSHALL
Published on 08/09/2012 02:35

THE cost of educating students from the rest of the UK would be a “price worth paying” for maintaining free higher education in an independent Scotland, according to education secretary Mike Russell.

Should Scotland gain independence, undergraduates from England, Northern Ireland and Wales would be regarded as EU students and therefore entitled to free tuition at Scotland’s universities.

Mr Russell said: “My own view is it would be perfectly manageable and the current system would cope well. I think it could be a price worth paying. The system is greatly enriched by having a diversity of students. There are many ways to manage the system.”