Fair offers

To assert that international overseas students are funding Scotland’s ancient universities at the expense of young Scots is inaccurate (“Free university tuition may no longer be viable”, 5 February). The number of places for international students has no bearing on the places available to Scottish students, which are funded by the Scottish Government.

Yes, we do have a higher rate of offers to international students for some subjects, and we have a higher rate of offer to Scots than overseas applicants for others. Overall, in 2023, our offer rate for undergraduate study was the same for overseas and Scottish applicants. We make more offers per place to overseas applicants for some courses for the simple reason that international students are less likely to take up their place, choosing instead to study at one of the world’s other top universities. This has no impact on the chances of a student from Scotland obtaining an offer from us.

Far from denying opportunities to young Scots, our international students enrich the learning experience for everyone, bringing fresh perspectives and contributing to the cultural diversity of our community. We welcome the debate about funding of higher education in Scotland, but this should be based on true circumstances and not a divisive misrepresentation of data which risks misinforming the public and creating an artificial wedge between our student groups. Above all, we should be clear on the positive contribution of international students to our university communities.

(Dr) Shane Collins Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions,

The University of Edinburgh