End to free tuition for students from EU

Free university tuition for EU students will end next year in a move that could increase places for people from Scotland.

Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead blamed Brexit as he confirmed the Scottish Government had reached the decision, which will save £19 million,.

Mr Lochhead said a continuation after the Brexit transition would risk legal challenge.

He said: “Unfortunately, with a heavy heart, we have taken the difficult decision to end free education for new EU students from the academic year 2021-22 onwards, as a direct consequence of Brexit.

“EU students who have already started their studies, or who start this autumn, will not be affected and will still be tuition free for the entirety of their courses.”

He told MSPs an “ambitious scholarship programme” would be considered to ensure Scotland “continues to attract significant numbers of European students”.

And he added that the ending of free tuition for EU students could result in an increase in the number of places for Scots.

“As a consequence of the decision we’ve taken on EU students, we must also decide what happens with the funding that currently supports these places, and I can confirm that we will not remove the funding that we currently devote to paying EU student fees,” he said.

“On current trends we estimate this could be up to £19m for 2021-22 alone, and as a result of that decision, this new flexibility for the sector should increase the number of students from Scotland getting a place at university, at a time when our young people face the economic impact of Covid-19.”

Professor Andrea Nolan, convener of Universities Scotland, said the sector “welcomed the clarity” on the fee status of the students.

“However, this decision does offer Scotland an important opportunity to fully-fund the undergraduate education of Scottish students and shift the public funding of degree places on to solid ground for the first time in years.”

Prof Nolan added that it represented a “big change”, that would “require very careful transition planning, and clarity was needed on how the change affects students from the Republic of Ireland.