Edinburgh to end in-course fee rises for international students

On Tuesday 19 February, the University of Edinburgh announced fixed international students' fees, to be implemented from the year 2014/2015.

Changes will apply to all full-time undergraduate students as well as students on postgraduate programmes lasting more than a year, and will not affect those already on a programme and those starting one in 2013/2014.

The changes will mean that students arriving to study in Edinburgh from outside the EU will know exactly how much their fees would be for each year of education before their studies begin.

Currently, fees for international students are unregulated in Scotland and vary widely across the various institutions. They also change from year to year, thus making it hard for students to plan a budget for the whole period of study.

The decision to introduce fixed international fees follows an extensive Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) campaign led by Aurora Adams.

In a statement to The Journal, Ms Adams said: "I'm incredibly proud that in the last 2 years international students' issues have become so much more visible within EUSA and the student community.

"This is a real and impressive victory, and I hope it's the first of many. International students make up a huge proportion of this university, and they should be included in its decision-making processes."

During the campaign, a petition was signed by 1,000 students at Edinburgh University to fix the international fees so that they are the same each year, or made known to students before they start studying programme.

The petition was delivered to the university and the MSP event at the Scottish Parliament, with both institutions acknowledging the issue.

At the moment, the changes will only be implemented within the University of Edinburgh. EUSA is planning to present the case to Scottish Parliament in support of fixed fees across all the Scottish institutions.

The exact level of international fees for entry level students in 2014/2015 will be released by the end of March 2013.