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Telegraph
24-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Abolish SNP's free university tuition for students who can afford it, say half of Scots
Half of Scots support reintroducing tuition fees for students whose families can afford to pay, new research has revealed. The report, published by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, found 48 per cent of Scottish adults would back the idea of charging fees 'based on the ability to pay'. Fewer than a third of respondents (29 per cent) said they would not back such a move, according to polling conducted by Ipsos Mori. Although there was widespread support for the taxpayer providing 'some form of help' with the cost of fees, Scots were divided over the 'extent and scope' of the assistance that should be provided. While 44 per cent said the Scottish Government should support all first-time undergraduates, 43 per cent said students' families should pay at least some of their fees if they can afford to do so. SNP ministers responded to the findings by vowing to stick with their flagship free-tuition policy, which means that even the wealthiest students pay nothing. But the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, which was founded using funds from industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1901, said the research showed 'there is room for a more nuanced and open discussion on priorities for funding'. The report was published after Scottish universities warned last week that they were 'dangerously reliant' on income from foreign students to survive under the SNP's current funding model. The SNP Government pays universities £1,820 for each Scottish student to cover the 'free' tuition each year but institutions have warned this does not nearly cover the cost of providing courses. Scotland's universities have been keen to recruit international students to help plug the financial black hole, as they charge them up to £40,000 per year in tuition fees. But official figures last week disclosed overseas student numbers dropped by more than 10,000 last year, with industry body Universities Scotland warning this had left the sector 'in a hugely exposed position'. A series of Scotland's most eminent universities warned of cuts, with Edinburgh stating it needs to make urgent savings to plug a £140 million budget gap. Hannah Garrow, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland chief executive, said: 'We know how complex the higher education funding system is and how much rides on it. 'However, recent discussions on how to finance higher education feel like they are stuck on repeat, while for many people funding continues to be seen as a barrier to access.' Ms Garrow argued the research showed that 'the public can inject some democratic innovation into the debate' if politicians were 'struggling'. Asked where the Scottish Government should prioritise its funding for post-school education, 61 per cent backed apprenticeship places allowing young people to 'earn why they learn'. Half said grants or bursaries for low-income students to help cover the cost of living, while only a quarter (26 per cent) said funding all first-time undergraduate tuition fees. 'Commitment to free tuition will not change' A Universities Scotland spokesman said: 'For far too long Scotland's conversation about university funding has been in a binary loop of free versus fees. It's time to move beyond that and get into a different kind of conversation. 'This survey suggests that conversation is already happening amongst the public. It is a conversation that needs to start in a meaningful way amongst our political leaders too.' Miles Briggs, the Scottish Tory shadow education secretary, said: 'We will continue to engage with Universities Scotland to develop policies for the benefit of young people across Scotland. The SNP must do the same and consider options to fix the financial crisis across the university sector.' But a Scottish government spokesman said: 'The Scottish Government's commitment to free tuition will not change. Access to higher education should be based on the ability to learn – not the ability to pay. 'The commitment also ensures that Scottish students do not accrue additional tuition fee loan debt incurred by their peers in the rest of the UK.'
The Guardian
24-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Scottish voters split over free tuition as university financial crisis deepens
Scottish voters are divided over Scotland's policy of free tuition for Scottish studentsas the crisis over university finances intensified. A poll commissioned by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland found that up to 48% of voters believe Scottish students who can afford it should pay for tuition, with 29% opposed. A different multiple-choice question produced a closer result. It found 43% believed those who could afford to should pay, while 44% felt every student should get free tuition. Scottish universities are among a growing number across the UK in deep financial peril, with Dundee expected to be the first to receive part of a £10m government bailout. Free tuition for undergraduates was first introduced in 2008 by the Scottish National party, in a vote-winning move to scrap the graduate endowment tax then used to partly pay for tuition in Scotland. However, free tuition has come under much greater scrutiny after Dundee University revealed it was on the brink of insolvency, while Edinburgh University plans to cut £140m to avoid going into deficit. Scottish universities receive £7,610 per head to teach Scottish students, less than the £9,250 English and Welsh universities can charge, at a total cost of about £715m a year. That means universities rely on foreign students paying full-cost fees to subsidise teaching costs for Scottish students. The number of overseas students coming to Scotland fell by 10,000 in 2023-24, adding to the financial pressures and increasing competition between universities. The free tuition policy also means the Scottish government caps the number of Scottish students who can go to university, which prevents some Scots from getting the university places they want. The trust, set up in 1901 by the Scottish-born US industrialist Andrew Carnegie, is establishing a citizens' jury to review how Scottish universities should be funded. It will be formed in April with 22 participants of different backgrounds taking part in six online evidence sessions. It is due to report in January 2026, four months before the next Scottish parliament election. Hannah Garrow, the trust's chief executive, said it believed there was an evidence gap about what voters really thought. 'We've known for some time that something needs to change. We need to have a more open and nuanced debate about it.' A spokesperson for Universities Scotland, the sector's representative body, supported the move. 'For far too long Scotland's conversation about university funding has been in a binary loop of free versus fees. It's time to move beyond that,' she said. The Scottish government said its commitment to free tuition would not change. 'Access to higher education should be based on the ability to learn – not the ability to pay,' a spokesperson said. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'The commitment also ensures that Scottish students do not accrue additional tuition fee loan debt incurred by their peers in the rest of the UK.' To widespread shock, Dundee revealed earlier in March it needed to sack 635 staff, sell off buildings and cut its teaching by 20% to save £35m, or face going bust. Strike action is being discussed at Dundee, Edinburgh and a string of English universities also planning to cut costs by closing courses and laying off staff through non-replacement or redundancies. On Thursday, strikes were held at the University of East Anglia, with University and College Union (UCU) members electing to strike again this week in protest at plans to cut 190 jobs in an effort to save £11m. UCU members at Newcastle University will also strike for a week from Monday over the loss of about 300 jobs designed to shrink its wage bill by £20m. Staff at Brunel University of London will strike for three days to protest against more than 400 job cuts. Although universities in England receive more tuition funding per student than their peers in Scotland, they receive less in direct grants from government, and the value of domestic fees has been sharply eroded by inflation.
