Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 54
54
Acknowledged
Following the UK’s exit from the EU, and the end of the UK-EU Transition Period,...
Conclusion
Following the UK’s exit from the EU, and the end of the UK-EU Transition Period, 2020–21 will be the last academic year in which EU students will be eligible to apply to have their tuition fees paid for by the SAAS.127 From 2021–22 Scottish universities will be able to charge EU students international student rates,128 which can be up to £20,000 per year.129 EU students wishing to study in Scotland will also need to apply for a student visa before they arrive in the UK. The application costs £348 and the Immigration Health Surcharge (which grants access to the NHS) costs £470 (for student visa holders).130 126 Scottish Government, ‘University fees EU students: FOI release’, accessed 7 April 2021 127 “Update on HE and FE support”, Scottish Government, 9 July 2020 128 Scottish Parliament, The impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on university funding in Scotland (23 July 2020), p 3 129 Q33 130 The Scholarship Hub, ‘Funding for EU students after Brexit’, accessed 8 April 2021 Universities and Scotland 25 EU student numbers from 2021–22
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges that Higher Education in Scotland is devolved and reiterates its commitment to working with the Scottish Government and supporting the sector, referring to its International Education Strategy and efforts to diversify student recruitment.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
In February 2021, the UK Government published an update to the International Education Strategy, recommitting to the ambitions of the original strategy. These ambitions are to sustainably increase international students in the UK to 600,000 per year, and increase the value of education exports to £35 billion per year, both by 2030. This update set out a number of new actions aimed at supporting the sector’s path from pandemic recovery, back to sustainable growth. We are making good progress against the ambitions. International enrolments increased by 9% in the 2020 to 2021 academic year, with a total of 605,130 compared with 556,625 for the previous academic year. With this we have now met the Government’s ambition for the first time of hosting at least 600,000 international students per year by 2030. A world-class student experience is essential to the UK’s globally competitive offer. That’s why the strategy sets out several actions to support each stage of the international student experience. This includes working with the sector to ensure a simple, streamlined application process, and work looking at alternative student finance, student experience and employability. Our International Education Strategy makes clear that Europe remains an important regional market for international student recruitment. In the 2020 to 2021 academic year there were 152, 905 higher education enrolments from the European Union studying in UK HE providers. These students make a valuable contribution to university life in the UK. We will continue to welcome European students to the UK and to promote the world-class UK education offer to prospective European students and ensure that they have a positive experience. Representatives from the devolved nations are represented on the Education Sector Advisory Group. This group is co-chaired by the Minister for Skills, Alex Burghart, and the Minister for Exports, Mike Freer, and coordinates efforts to boost UK education exports. The UK International Education Champion also meets regularly with officials from the devolved administrations. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) also provides £86m to fund scholarships for students from developing countries to study for post graduate degrees at British universities throughout the UK, including Scottish universities, through two scholarship programmes: Chevening, which is open to applicants from 160 countries, and has awarded over 1500 scholarships this year; and Commonwealth scholarships, which are awarded to around 700 candidates from Commonwealth countries each year. In addition, the Marshall Scholarship programme, established by an Act of Parliament in 1953, provides scholarships to talented young Americans to study for Masters’ degrees at any British University. There is regular collaboration between the British Council Study UK Team and relevant stakeholders in Scotland to ensure that the campaign provides the correct information on the different structures and support in place for international students in Scotland. In addition, the campaign is delivered with direct input from Scottish Universities to ensure that it represents the breadth of the offer available to international students in Scotland as appropriate.
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