Uni student numbers on rise

THE number of people studying education at Scottish universities increased by almost 10% in a year, say new figures.

Those taking science subjects was also up more than 3% in 2016/17 compared with the previous year.

The figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show overall university enrolments at Scottish institutions increased by 2.7%, up from 235,565 in 2015/16 to 241,935 in 2016/17.

Education saw the biggest rise, with 15,240 students in 2016/17, compared with 13,905 the year before.There were 118,540 people studying science subjects, such as medicine, maths and engineering, up f rom 114,740 i n 2015/16 – a 3.3% increase.

In particular, the number of students taking a computer science course rose by 9% compared with 2015/16.

Further and Higher Education Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville said of the increase: “It is a clear demonstration of the strength of Scotland’s reputation as a fantastic place to live, study, and work.”