News Shorts

Scottish public supports tuition fees

- The majority of the Scottish public believes that students should pay for university education, a survey has revealed.

The survey, commissioned by the Scotsman and conducted by YouGov, questioned 1,135 Scottish adults about their views on tuition fees.

Plans by the SNP, Labour and the Liberal Democrats to maintain free education at taxpayers’ expense proved unpopular, with almost two-thirds of respondents saying that universities should be funded by tuition fees or graduate contribution.

A majority of the Lib Dems, Labour and SNP supporters all preferred the Conservatives’ graduate contribution policy to the promise of free higher education, however Labour voters by only 56 per cent.

Sighthill Campus Shortlisted for RIBA Award

- Napier University’s £60 million overhaul of the Sighthill Campus has been nominated for a prestigious architecture award.

The redevelopment was designed by RMJM Architects and features simulation hospital wards, a sports hall that can recreate high altitude conditions and panoramic views of Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat.

It is one of 17 projects in Scotland shortlisted for the 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awards.

The shortlist was selected by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and each project will now be visited by the RIBA judges before the panel meets in May.

The RIBA Awards are considered one of the most prestigious architecture awards in the country, and they are awarded on a regional basis.

Universities fuel Scottish immigration

- Official statistics have revealed record levels of immigration to Scotland, with international students featuring prominently in the figures.

About 21,500 more foreigners were living in Scotland last year compared with 2009, bringing the Scottish population to its highest level in 33 years.

Asylum seekers and foreign students were identified as leading factors in the growth, with overseas populations focused around Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.

Critics are blaming the SNP's abolition of tuition fees for fuelling immigration from the EU.

The number of students from the EU studying at Scottish universities has increased by about 50 per cent since fees were abolished in 2007.

The news comes as Glasgow's Caledonian University has been stripped of its right to recruit overseas students, after high numbers were found to be breaching visa requirements which limit the hours of paid work they can carry out.