Scottish Lib Dems call for Westminster-style fair access test

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has insisted the Scottish Government introduce a fair access test for university fees.

Mr Rennie pointed to the example of England and Wales, where universities who charge more than £6,000 a year in fees must apply to the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), run by the UK government, and highlight how they are helping less privileged students.

He went on to claim that if a similar system was introduced north of the border, then universities charging £9,000 a year for rest of UK (RUK) students would fail such a test. Currently, Scottish universities are free to set their own terms and have no regulation or accountability to the Scottish Government.

However, Mr Rennie has questioned Scotland's current system. He said: “OFFA in England and Wales make sure that access to university is based on the ability to learn by requiring that universities comply with strict fair access criteria. OFFA makes sure there are plans in place to protect those who want to go university but feel they cannot afford it.

"I want to know why Scottish universities have been able to increase fees for students from the rest of the UK without even meeting the fair access requirements set by the UK Government.

"NUS Scotland have already raised concerns that access rates are lower in Scotland than the rest of the UK and I want the Education Secretary to consider having an Office for Fair Access in Scotland which all universities would fall under the jurisdiction of."

The Scottish government recently announced that they will be making no changes to the current system which means students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland will have to pay up to £36,000 at some universities for a standard four-year degree.

This has prompted students to continue protesting across the country with marches having taken place in London and Edinburgh on 9 and 23 November respectively.