University defends its record fees

THE cost of a degree at Edinburgh University for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland is set to be more expensive than anywhere else in the UK, after the institution announced plans to charge £36,000 in tuition fees.

It led to warnings that students from the rest of the UK could be put off studying in Scotland, causing universities north of the Border to lose out on vital funds.

Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt universities yesterday followed Aberdeen University, which last week said it would charge students from the rest of the UK the maximum fee of £9,000 a year.

However, while both Aberdeen and Heriot-Watt will offer the fourth year free to keep prices on a par with three-year courses south of the Border, Edinburgh will charge students for each year of a four-year degree, putting the total cost at £36,000.

To offset the fees, Edinburgh said it was introducing the “most generous bursary package in the UK” for students from the lowest-income households. But critics said the cost was “staggering” and accused the university of “cashing in” on students from elsewhere in the UK.

The University and College Union (UCU) said it had concerns that setting the variable fee at the highest level would “stem the flow” of English students, leading to a loss of the funds that universities are attempting to maximise.

Universities north of the Border are being allowed to charge undergraduates from the rest of the UK from 2012, after the Scottish Government removed their funding following the introduction of higher rate fees in England.

However, Scots studying at Scottish universities will continue to be exempt from fees.

Professor Mary Bownes, Edinburgh University’s vice-principal for external engagement, said: “The increase in the fee is necessary, as we will no longer receive government funding for RUK [rest of the UK] domiciled students.”

She went on: “These students will be studying at one of the world’s top teaching and research institutions, regularly ranked amongst the leading universities in the world.

“The university is committed to introducing the most generous package of bursaries to be made available to RUK-domiciled students on the lowest household incomes, with the aim of ensuring that no student will be prevented from attending the university purely on the basis of an inability to afford to study here.

“More than 50 per cent of additional tuition fee income will go towards bursaries, with the remainder going towards enhancing the student experience. There will also be a major new internally funded scheme for access and accommodation bursaries for Scottish-domiciled students.”

The university said its new package of bursaries meant those from disadvantaged backgrounds who studied for a four-year degree would be eligible for a bursary of up to £28,000 and access awards of up to £5,000.

But Graeme Kirkpatrick, deputy president of National Union of Students in Scotland, said there were now “huge question marks” over the likelihood of students from the rest of the UK coming to Scotland to study for a degree.

He said: “A £36,000 degree is both staggering and ridiculous. The average cost to study at Oxford and Cambridge is around £25,000 in fees, which, while still eye-wateringly large, pales in comparison with this.

“And that’s before you add additional debt for the extra year of living costs for the four-year degree in Scotland.

“This is nothing less than cashing in on students from the rest of the UK, and giving the signal that Edinburgh University is more interested in the money you can bring, as opposed to your academic ability.”

Matt McPherson, president of the Edinburgh University Students’ Association, said: “Today is a dark day for students. We believe the university has made the wrong choice in charging students more than anywhere else in the UK for a degree.

“We are deeply concerned that the decision made today will put off capable students from applying to Edinburgh through aversion to debt, barring them the chance to even apply for those bursaries.”

The announcement from Edinburgh University came after Heriot-Watt said it, too, would charge students £9,000 a year to a maximum of £27,000.

Heriot-Watt said it would encourage applicants with suitable A levels to go straight into second year, with those opting for a four-year degree being discounted the tuition fee for the first year.

The UCU said the decision by Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Aberdeen had effectively introduced the English fees system in Scotland. Mary Senior, the union’s Scottish official, said: “Though Edinburgh are offering bursaries, most students won’t qualify for these, so that only the wealthiest will consider Edinburgh an option.

“Our worst fears that most Scottish universities will ignore the minister and charge the highest possible fee have come to fruition.”

Education secretary Michael Russell had previously said he expected Scottish universities to show restraint, with a working group set up by the Scottish Government and higher education body Universities Scotland pointing to an average fee of £6,375 as a fair figure.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “It is up to individual universities to manage and set their fee levels, bearing in mind the need to be competitive and attractive to a broad range of students.

“It is in their interests, as well as Scotland’s, that we maintain the cosmopolitan character of our student population at the same time as making sure that opportunities for students who live in Scotland are protected.”