26% surge in students from England heading north for uni

SCOTLAND’S universities have seen a 26 per cent surge in English and Welsh students accepting places, following the introduction of higher tuition fees south of the border.

Many Scots universities decided to undercut institutions south of the border by charging less than the maximum £9000-per-year fee set by most English universities.

However, Edinburgh University — whose average fees for English students total £36,000 over four years making it, along with St Andrews, the most expensive in Scotland — has seen a two per cent drop in students from the rest of the UK.

Official figures show that while there are nearly 26,000 fewer English students taking university places in their own country, there has been a jump from 3197 to 4039 in those coming to Scotland.