Discrimination against ENGLISH students

Why indeed? Another question to be answered by the ghastly Sturgeon.

"Because of European law, the Scottish government also has to provide free tuition at Scottish universities for students from other EU countries - but not for those from other parts of the UK.
Essentially this is because it is possible to discriminate between students from different parts of an individual member state but not to discriminate against those from other parts of the EU."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23279868

"The standard tuition fee for an undergraduate degree course in Scotland in 2016 is £1,820.
The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) will pay these fees if you meet eligibility conditions; for example, if you are a Scottish resident and/or a qualifying non-UK EC student.
If you come from the Rest of the UK (RUK), universities in Scotland will charge you variable fees up to a maximum of £9,000 just like England and Wales.
Undergraduate Scholarships and Bursaries are available for eligible students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales to help offset these higher fees."
www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/university-tuition-fees/going-to-university-in-scotland/

Yet another reason to be glad we are leaving the EU then.

No wonder Scotland's budget deficit is the largest in the EU and double the rate of the UK as a whole.

No-one is providing free tuition for English and Welsh students attending English and Welsh universities.
Why not campaign about that?

Welsh students at Welsh universities only pay about a third of the usual £9,000 plus.

This is nothing new, it's been the case for years. Scottish/EU would-be students pay for it by having fewer places available to them. There are strict limits on how many Scots/EU students can go to Scottish universities while any number of RUK/Overseas students can attend.

Because FarNorth there are far too many students in England, Scotland only has a small population.

England has a correspondingly larger population to support its students.

But the total population is not as relevant as the proportion of students who qualify to go on to enrol in a university. That is probably about the same in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

I don't understand the point about Scottish/EU students 'paying for it by having fewer places available to them'. They're not paying at all...!

Scottish Universities have to offer free tuition on an equal basis to students from other EU countries so as to have free tuition for Scottish students. They do not have to offer it to students from other Uk countries. If they did, their education bill would be even higher than it is and the deficit would rise higher. International non-EU students pay more then UK ones.

If you want free tuition at English universities too, you would have to put up with giving it to EU students as well.

"For home/EU students the maximum fee chargeable by an English university is £9,000 in 2016. Students from non-EU countries pay a different scale of fees.

The standard tuition fee for an undergraduate degree course in Scotland in 2016 is £1,820.

The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) will pay these fees if you meet eligibility conditions; for example, if you are a Scottish resident and/or a qualifying non-UK EC student.
If you come from the Rest of the UK (RUK), universities in Scotland will charge you variable fees up to a maximum of £9,000 just like England and Wales
^Undergraduate Scholarships and Bursaries are available for eligible students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales to help offset these higher fees.^"
www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/

Scottish students do not get free tuition at English universities, see www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1413853 and don't get it back from Scottish authorities. They have to pay up and get a student loan.

Ana what I meant was that would-be Scots students 'pay' in that they are unable to access places which are given to English/overseas students. It's pretty galling for young Scots to be denied a place at a university yet see others walk into a university they would like to attend. www.scotsman.com/news/education/scots-students-denied-university-places-offered-to-rest-of-uk-1-2475592

It's also the case that Scotland has chosen different priorities than England. The govt here has chosen to fund higher education rather than infrastructure, for instance. I am astounded at the road systems down south, while I live approx 70 miles from the nearest motorway even though I live near a large city. That's what devolution has given Scotland - the ability to make different choices.

Yes, but at what cost SueDonim?

Free University education and free prescriptions for all and increased spending have led to a massive budget deficit. Nichola Sturgeon has done her country no favours.

I'm not speaking of monetary costs. I mean the cost of not going to university and being denied access to a career you desire. Having to settle for second best. Being denied an education.

I agree, Scotland isn't in a good place economically! I'm not Scottish, btw, I'm an incomer.

No one is denied access to a career they desire anywhere in the UK. Anyone can apply for a University place and if their qualifications meet the standard they'll be accepted.

If they don't live in Scotland, they have the option of taking out a student loan repayable when they're earning over a certain amount.

Proportionally, for the size of its population, Scotland has more universities than the rest of the UK, so they have to fill their places from elsewhere. it does seem a bit wacky, economically that EU law makes them discriminate against fee-paying students.

Scratches head in puzzlement ? and agrees that it's no wonder the Scottish government's deficit is so large.

What happened to rational thinking along the way?

Hang on....

I'm confused!

Read my link, Ana. A candidate may have all and more of the required qualifications but if all places are full, he or she will not be offered a place. The numbers of places for Scots/EU students are capped. The number of places for RUK/overseas students are not capped,

It's also untrue to say that if someone has the correct qualifications they will get a place. Medicine, for instance, is highly competitive and many, many people do not get a place despite having excellent qualifications,

So Scots would-be students are "denied an education" while also Scots universities "have to fill their places from elsewhere" because they have too many places going spare.

I'm too.

And those surplus places are being offered to fee-paying students from outside Scotland, yet those same fee-paying students are being "discriminated against". ?? ??

Scottish students do have to pay to go to Uni in England, don't they?

There may be free places, in some courses, and be over-subscribed in others- perhaps.

Yes, Scots students pay the same as others in English universities.

This article explains the problem clearly. Places available to Scots/EU students are limited. Places available to RUK/overseas students are unlimited. I really don't see what is difficult to understand about that.

www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/opinion/jenny-hjul/273864/no-fees-no-win-students/