Scotland extends free tuition for EU students

European students who come to Scotland to study can still benefit from free tuition after the UK’S formal Brexit date.

The Scottish Government has announced that students from other European Union (EU) countries who start their course in the academic year 2019-20 will not be charged tuition fees.

Shirley-anne Somerville, the higher education minister, said the move sent a “strong message” that EU citizens were still very “welcome” in Scotland.

Britain is scheduled to exit the EU in March 2019.

Ms Somerville said that students starting their degree that autumn would still get free access to university.

She told MSPS at Holyrood that the Scottish Government had already pledged to provide free tuition for EU students starting their courses in 201718 and 2018-19.

She added: “I can announce that we will now extend that commitment to the 2019-20 student cohort.

“This means that all eligible non-uk EU citizens who come to Scotland to study for an undergraduate higher education qualification in 2019-20 will benefit from free tuition.

“This will provide confidence for prospective EU students considering coming to study in Scotland, as well as the clarity that our institutions require in order to plan for that academic year.”