Eleventh-hour rush by Scots to study at ‘home’ universities

THE number of Scots hoping to go to university in their home country has risen following a “late surge” in applications, despite worries about the cost of studying for a degree.

Figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) show overall applications to Scottish universities rose by 0.8 per cent in December compared with the same month the previous year, including a 0.1 per cent rise in applications from Scottish students.

However, the rise in applications to Scottish institutions was largely due to a 7.6 per cent increase from EU students and a 23.8 per cent jump from foreign students living outside the EU.

The country’s universities saw a 3.4 per cent fall in the number of English applications, but it was a smaller drop than the 8.3 per cent decrease in the number of English people applying to study in their home country.

With the deadline for university applications not until 15 January, Ucas said it was still too early to make predictions about demand for higher education in 2012.

However, December’s figures will come as a relief to universities after November showed a 16 per cent slump in Scots applying to study in Scotland.

It is thought young people are delaying their decisions until the last minute amid concerns about the financial burden posed by studying for a degree.

As of this year, students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales will be required to pay up to £9,000 a year to study in Scotland, with degrees at Edinburgh and St Andrews now the most expensive in the UK. Scots and EU students will remain exempt from fees north of the Border, but there are still concerns over the cost of going to university amid the backdrop of increased financial uncertainty.

Overall, the number of Scots applying to study across the UK fell slightly in December, from 14,729 in 2010 to 14,617 in 2011.

Across the UK as a whole, the total number of applicants for courses stood at 321,908 in December – a fall of 6.4 per cent compared with the same stage in the admissions process a year before, but a narrowing of the 12.9 per cent decline registered in November.

Ucas chief executive Mary Curnock Cook said: “Evidence of a late surge as the deadline approaches is now emerging.

“Applicants are taking longer to research their choices, but the applications flow has speeded up, as these statistics show.”

Robin Parker, president of the National Union of Students in Scotland, said: “It’s great to see applications from Scottish students to Scottish universities remain steady – absolutely thanks to the right decision by the Scottish Parliament to keep education in Scotland free.

“The same can’t be said for students from the rest of the UK, though, as we again see a decline in numbers, due to the imposition of fees and the reckless decision by some Scottish institutions to charge the highest amount in the UK.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The latest figures make interesting reading from a Scottish perspective, but we will be drawing no firm conclusions until the final picture is published by Ucas.”