Scotland urged to introduce tuition fees

Scottish students are facing the possibility of tuition fees after a leaked report from Universities Scotland recommended their introduction and lobby group CBI have said fees will become necessary.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly promised that tuition fees are not an option, the only definite assurance given by their higher education funding Green Paper at the end of last year.

However, a leaked report from Universities Scotland has recommended introducing tuition fees at Scottish universities fixed at £3,290, similar to the current level in England, bringing the cost of a four-year degree to £13,000.

Universities Scotland has been clear that it will not be possible to maintain free higher education in Scotland but had previously been backing a graduate contribution. Two previous attempts to introduce fees in Scotland were unsuccessful. £2,000 a year fees were implemented between 1998 and 2000 and a one-off graduate endowment fee of £2,000 in 2008 was also dropped.

The main concern is that up-front, fixed tuition fees will affect the accessibility of higher education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

However, it was recently estimated by a panel of expert economists that Scottish universities will be left with a funding deficit of £200 million compared to their English counterparts, following the rise in fees south of the Border.

Following the report CBI, the UK’s leading business lobby group, have also submitted a proposal to the Scottish Government in support of tuition fees. They claim that the average graduate will earn around £160,000 more over their lifetime than non-graduates so that university will remain a worthwhile option for disadvantaged students.

Iain McMillan, director of CBI Scotland, told The Journal: “If our universities are to remain internationally competitive and continue to deliver high standards of teaching and research to a significant number of Scottish students, then it is reasonable to expect graduates to make a financial contribution once their salaries have passed above a £21,000 per annum threshold.”

The SNP maintains that the funding gap will not be as high as £200 million, claiming that they can make up funds by charging higher tuition to English students. They have estimated the gap could be as low as £93 million.

Liam Burns, president of NUS Scotland, said: “While there is a funding gap, it can certainly be bridged without resorting to charging people for their education, through tuition fees or a graduate contribution.

“We now need to move on from the constant debate over fees or not. We'll now be asking all political parties to commit to ruling out tuition fees, to maintaining graduate numbers and to improving student support in Scotland.”

The SNP and Scottish Labour party have both ruled out the possibility of tuition fees, while the Scottish Conservatives have proposed a graduate contribution.