New tuition fees 'may stop UK students coming to Scotland'

Published on Wednesday 29 June 2011 18:29

SCOTTISH degrees are set to become the most expensive in the UK after the SNP government said it would allow universities to charge up to £36,000 in fees to non-Scots students.

Education secretary Michael Russell said students from other parts of the UK could be charged a maximum of 9,000 a year to study at universities north of the Border.

Two-thirds of English universities plan to charge the maximum fee of 9,000 a year from 2012, after the cap was raised by the UK government last year, meaning a three-year degree would cost up to 27,000. But as degrees take four years in Scotland, they will be more expensive than even Oxford or Cambridge.

Critics said there was a danger other UK students would be discouraged from studying in Scotland altogether.

Scottish universities face a funding gap of up to 200 million as a result of the introduction of higher tuition fees in England, which will bring them extra income.

Mr Russell told MSPs yesterday: "Scotland has, and always will, welcome students from all over the world to our universities.

"However, the decisions being taken in England could threaten the quality and competitiveness of our universities.

"We cannot allow Scotland to no longer be the best option and instead be known as the cheap option. We must also protect places for Scottish students."

He said he expected the annual average fee for Scottish universities to be lower than the average in England and Wales, at 6,375.

And he said the extra income generated would be shared across the sector. "I will ensure that the additional revenue is distributed fairly," he said. "While those with high numbers of other UK students will benefit, we will work with the Scottish Funding Council, Universities Scotland, and NUS Scotland to ensure that the additional income generated also helps the whole of the sector."

Ken Macintosh, Scottish Labour's education spokesman, said: "Allowing Scottish universities to charge students from the rest of the UK up to 36,000 for a degree is one sure-fire way to discourage these students from studying in Scotland.

"There is a real danger that the SNP's plans to overcharge students from the rest of the UK will be counterproductive.At this level, they risk deterring students from studying in Scotland altogether and having the perverse effect of making the funding gap bigger not smaller."

Labour agrees with the Scottish Government that students from the rest of the UK need to be charged more for their education to prevent Scotland being seen as the "cheap option".

But Mr Macintosh warned 9,000 was a move "too far" and could deter students from other parts of the from UK coming to Scotland at all.

He said: "People will be astonished that the SNP have ramped up fees for students higher than even the Tories and Lib Dems at Westminster dared.

"We need to treat the issue of addressing the funding gap with the seriousness and urgency it deserves to ensure Scotland's universities remain world-leading."

Currently, students from the rest of the UK are charged a flat fee of 1,820, or 2,895 for medicine, regardless of the institution they study at. From 2012-13, universities will have discretion to charge what they like until legislation by the Scottish Government is brought in to cap the charge at 9,000 from 2013-14.

However, Mr Russell said university principals had agreed to honour the 9,000 limit in the meantime.

The Liberal Democrats' education spokesman Liam McArthur said: "SNP ministers have promised to keep higher education free for Scottish students by raising money from fee-paying English students. But today's announcement suggests that four-year degrees at Scottish universities may become more costly than options south of the Border. That is a concern."

Mr Russell was unable to answer Labour's Claire Baker as to whether his plan to introduce a "service charge" for EU students - ostensibly for exam fees and the use of university facilities such as libraries - would be legal.

European law says EU students must be treated as domestic students, meaning the Scottish Government must pay the fees of students from member states. EU law does not recognise England as an independent state, so Scotland can charge English students.

Mr Russell told MSPs: "We will also continue to explore the feasibility - within the boundaries of European law - of a management fee for EU students.

"This is a complex area and we have to take our time to explore fully what might be possible. My officials are continuing to engage with the European Commission and other member states, and I expect to be able to say more about this later in the year."

Lecturers fear allowing Scottish universities to charge variable fees could create chaos in the admissions system.They called on the Scottish Government to consider a fixed fee instead.

Gordon Watson, president of the University and College Union in Scotland, said: "It is perverse that the SNP, who fought an election on the promise of no tuition fees, can justify introducing an English system for other UK students in Scotland.

"The present fee level was set after careful consideration, bearing in mind the costs of studying in Scotland and including the probability of an extra year of study. This ensured consistency on the numbers of English students and ensured extra funding went back into the higher education budget. The proposal to have variable fees introduces a market for English students and a possible disincentive to recruit Scottish students."

Students also slammed the move as the "wrong choice" and said creating a market system would price the poorest students out of a university education.

Robin Parker, NUS Scotland president-elect, said: "These proposals could make Scottish degrees the most expensive in the whole of the UK for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, going further even than what we've seen in England.

"There's more than an element of hypocrisy here. The SNP rejected a market in tuition fees for Scottish students prior to the election, only to introduce one immediately after for students from the rest of the UK."