Top Scots universities slated for £36,000 fees

Addressing the Scottish Parliament’s education committee yesterday, Mr Russell said the two institutions may have “disadvantaged” themselves in terms of attracting students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

His comments came as MSPs approved measures which will allow Scottish universities to charge up to £9,000 a year for students from the rest of the UK.

He said he hoped to introduce legislation in the new year which would help widen access to higher education and said he had not given up on finding a Scottish solution to the “flawed” funding arrangements brought in by Westminster.

But he complained that some Scottish institutions had failed to show restraint in setting fee levels, putting them at risk of becoming less attractive to prospective students.

Both Edinburgh and St Andrews have opted to charge students £36,000 for a four-year course, making their degrees the most expensive in the UK.

The two institutions are the most popular in Scotland with students from the rest of the UK and currently account for about 40 per cent of the English, Northern Irish and Welsh students studying in Scotland.

Mr Russell said: “I don’t agree with what they did and they know I don’t agree with what they did. There should have been greater restraint.”

He later added: “They could have disadvantaged themselves. They have the most RUK [rest of UK] students at present, but we don’t know the outcome [of fees]. It could be that the pattern of RUK students could change because of this.”

Both universities declined to respond to the minister’s comments, but St Andrews said applications from RUK students were up 17.5 per cent, while applications from Scottish students were up 12 per cent.

Figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service on Monday showed the number of Scots applying to study at Scottish universities has fallen by 16.2 per cent compared with last year, while there has been a 7.6 per cent decline from English students. The number of Scots applying to study at university anywhere in the UK has fallen by 17 per cent, the figures showed.

Mr Russell said it appeared the “noise” surrounding the issue of tuition fees was affecting applications from Scottish students, despite them being exempt from fees in Scotland.

He said the current system was “diametrically opposed” to his own view that higher education should be free.

He said: “I would like to find a better means, and if a better means can be found, I’m open to it. It’s entirely diametrically opposed to my view of higher education. There’s a concern arising right across higher education that the noise around this issue is going to depress applications and I think that would be unfortunate.

“I don’t want our policy on higher education to be set in perpetuity in response to what I think is a flawed policy south of the Border. I’m open to seeing whether there are better ways of doing this, of course I am.”

The regulation to raise fees for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland is intended to come into force on 1 August next year. It was prompted by a UK government decision to allow English universities to charge up to £9,000 a year.

Holyrood’s education and culture committee yesterday agreed to the controversial plan, with one abstention from Conservative MSP Liz Smith.

Robin Parker, president of the National Union of Students in Scotland, said: “We’re deeply disappointed that fees for students from the rest of the UK studying in Scotland will go ahead as planned.

“The average degree in Scotland will be more than the maximum allowed in England, and we’ll have two institutions where £36,000 degrees will be the norm – way above the typical degree cost in England.

“We cannot accept the excesses we’ve seen from some Scottish principals for this coming year, with mortgage-level degree costs and no protection for widening access for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.”