Russell rules out fees for Scottish students

RESIDENT students will not face tuition fees for university degree courses in Scotland, Education Secretary Mike Russell has pledged.

Students from other parts of the UK who choose to study in Scotland now face fees of £9,000 a year at Scottish universities, including St Andrews and Edinburgh. The total £36,000 bill for the traditional four-year courses will be the highest in the UK.

But Russell said the SNP government was elected in May on a promise that it would not introduce fees or graduate contributions from students who live in Scotland and, he insisted, that policy would be maintained.

He said: “There are not and will not be tuition fees for Scottish domiciled students.

“This means that young people living in Scotland will not be burdened by huge levels of debt, which detracts from their own personal success and from economic growth and job creation.

“My priority is unequivocally Scottish students and Scottish universities, protecting their access to education and the quality of teaching and research available to them.”

St Andrews set tuition fees at the maximum level of £9,000 a year for students from the rest of the UK after a decision to raise fees was sanctioned by the university court on Friday. The increased rate will apply for the academic year 2012-2013 for all courses.

The university court had attempted to offset criticism by also approving a new package of bursaries and financial aid. It will mean that entrant undergraduate students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, whose household income is less than £42,600, will face no upfront costs to attend courses at the Fife establishment, Scotland’s oldest university.

It vowed to commit 40 per cent of the additional fee income it receives from the rest of UK students to bursaries and financial aid, and has committed to raise £13 million for further scholarships and bursaries as part of its 600th anniversary fundraising appeal.