Select committee: Scottish Affairs Committee
Conclusion 15
First Report - Universities and Scotland
Published 28 May 2021
Addressed to Scotland Office
Scottish Affairs Committee Universities and Scotland All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Higher public sector spending on higher education in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK is predominately a consequence of the Scottish Government policy of free tuition for Scottish students (and until recently EU students). Scotland is the only country in the UK that offers fee-free university tuition. This is a policy which has support across the political spectrum in Scotland, with the Scottish National Party, Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Scottish Greens all backing it.24 Debates continue however about the impact this policy has on students and Scottish universities.25 The Secretary of State for Scotland, Rt Hon Alister Jack MP, told us that: In order to meet the costs of this policy, the Scottish Government provides £213 million in funding (approx. £1,800 per student per academic year for a degree programme) with a cap on places to control costs. In England, UK and EU students are personally liable to pay up to £9,250 per academic year for a degree programme. While income from undergraduate students only represents part of the funding picture, this difference in approach between Scotland and England clearly contributes to the budgetary pressures that institutions in Scotland face.26
From: Scottish Affairs Committee, First Report - Universities and Scotland (HC 54), 28 May 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 27 April 2022 (deadline 28 July 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out continued work with the devolved administrations and existing UK-wide policies on international students, immigration, research funding and talent, and states it will submit a response to the earlier Immigration and Scotland report "shortly".
- On the Turing Scheme, it confirmed funding for three years, including "£110 million for the 2022/23 Academic Year". It states the scheme "prioritises pupils, students and learners over staff and inward mobility funding", and says the first year's impact will be evaluated.
- On Erasmus+, it states that President Von Der Leyen "has previously confirmed that association by part of a country is not legally possible".
- On UKRI, it states that Board appointees "are not recruited to represent any constituency, sector or regional grouping", while a legal requirement to have regard to research conditions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is taken into account. It says Research England's place on the Executive Committee reflects its status as a legal component of UKRI.
- On visa costs, it states that "UK visa fees are broadly in line with our competitors" and that it will "continue to keep visa fees under review".