16pc rise in number of non-EU students applying to Scots unis

APPLICATIONS to Scottish universities from students outside the EU have risen by 16 per cent, statistics show.

The data is from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas), which processes millions of applications each year for universities across the UK.

The increase contributed to a 3 per cent rise in the total number of applications to Scottish institutions.

They cover the most recent application cycle, which ended on June 30.

Between January and the deadline, a period which included lockdown, 4,730 applications were made against 3,380 during the same period last year – up 40 per cent. The number of Scottish-domiciled

students who applied up to and including the most recent cycle is up slightly from 47,110 last year to 47,250.

The number of applications from those within the EU has dropped by 2 per cent – continuing a trend seen in recent years.

When broken down by socio-economic background, the number of Scottish domiciled applicants from more deprived areas has fallen from 7,760 to 7,750, while those from more affluent areas dropped by 2 per cent, from 12,510 to 12,230.

Alastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland, said the data is ‘encouraging’ but added: ‘It will be September before universities know for sure whether offerholders intend to take up their place.

‘Not all international students apply through Ucas, so we can’t yet be sure if the positive trend shown in Ucas’s data for overseas applicants will be borne out across all international applicants.’

Responding to the figures concerning the backgrounds of applicants, Mr Sim said: ‘Since the pandemic hit, universities have consistently said that they will not let it deter them from efforts to widen access and that they will offer more flexibility to applicants because of the major disruption to schools, to exams and to people’s lives in general. The data suggests there’s been no negative impact.’