Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 20
20
Acknowledged
Audit Scotland’s 2019 report found that tuition fees were the single largest source of university...
Conclusion
Audit Scotland’s 2019 report found that tuition fees were the single largest source of university income in 2017–18.32 This has remained the case in subsequent years.33 The chart below, which relates to 2017–18 (from Audit Scotland’s 2019 report), shows that over half of that tuition fee income came from international (non-EU) students. 28 Scottish Government, ‘University fees EU students: FOI release’, accessed 7 April 2021 29 Q249 30 “Scottish students ‘squeezed out’ of university places”, The Times, 12 January 2020 31 The Scottish Parliament (Research Briefings), ‘The impact of Coronavirus (Covid-19) on university funding In Scotland’, accessed 24 January 2021 32 Audit Scotland, Finances of Scottish universities, September 2019, para 29 33 The Scottish Parliament (Research Briefings), ‘The impact of Coronavirus (Covid-19) on university funding In Scotland’, accessed 24 January 2021 12 Universities and Scotland Income profile for the university sector in 2017–1834
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledged that higher education in Scotland is a devolved responsibility and recognised the benefits of international students. It highlighted the International Education Strategy and Graduate Route for attracting students and advised universities to diversify recruitment to manage dependence on a single source of funding.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
International students bring fresh ideas and new perspectives and in doing so help challenge thinking, making for an enriching learning environment for all students, including those from the UK. For our young people, this cultural exchange helps build life-long friendships, as well as laying the foundation for future networks, and important business, political and diplomatic bridges. International students also help stimulate demand for courses, add to the UK’s impressive research capacity and have the potential to contribute invaluably to the UK skills base—particularly in key subjects where they benefit the UK economy by filling a number of sectoral skills shortages, for example engineering, technology, health and social work. Universities are aware of the possible risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation or from a single nation. Ensuring student recruitment is from a diversified base, in order for growth to remain sustainable in the longer term remains a key strategic priority—our commitment to this is set out clearly in the International Education Strategy. As part of this strategy, which was launched last year and will be updated this year, we also announced the Graduate Route, among several other measures to attract new international students. The UK Government’s International Education Strategy and recent update make clear that the internationalisation of our higher education sector cannot come at any cost – universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risk. We will look to work closely with colleagues in Scotland and the other DA’s to continue to work on this aim.
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