Scottish government praised as university applicants hold steady Published on Monday 30 January 2012 15:27 STUDENT leaders have praised the Scottish Government's stance on tuition fees after new figures showed the number of people applying to Scottish universities "held steady." Ucas figures released today show the number of university applications from Scotland fell 1.5 per cent. That is the smallest drop in the UK. The total number of applications from students to study in Scotland rose by 0.2%, compared with a slump of almost 9% in applicants to English universities. Applications to Scottish universities from international students are up by more than a quarter. Tuition fees for English universities are due to triple to a maximum of £9,000 this autumn. However, the SNP administration was elected on a pledge to maintain free university education for Scotland-based students. Robin Parker, president of the National Union of Students in Scotland, said: "Today's Ucas figures are a ringing endorsement of the Scottish Government's correct decision to keep Scotland free of tuition fees and remove any price tag for studying. Scottish applications have held up well, particularly when compared to elsewhere in the UK. The figures show that the number of university applicants from all parts of the UK has fallen. In England the number applying to university dropped by 9.9%, whereas in Scotland the fall was by 1.5%. The total UK figure was down by 8.7% to 462,507 applications, compared with 506,388 at this point last year. The number of Scottish students applying to study in Scotland has fallen from 38,986 last year to 38,559 in 2012, a drop of 1.1% or 427 applications. The total number of applications to Scottish institutions has risen by 0.2% to 96,364 this year. Ucas said the number of non-EU applicants to Scottish universities rose almost 25% this year, with applications from the EU up 6%. Mr Parker welcomed the Scottish figures but criticised the tuition fees faced by students south of the border. He said: "With applications in England showing a drop of almost 10%, it's clear £9,000 fees are putting huge numbers of students off, and cutting off opportunities for people to study, re-skill and get the education that gets them a job. This is yet another day when the Liberal Democrat MPs that voted for £9,000 fees in England should hang their heads in shame. Their decision to betray students, by trebling fees to £9,000 when they pledged to abolish them, has not only harmed students in England, it's also led to a 16% drop in Scottish students applying to study in England too. We always said £9,000 fees would price out students, particularly the poorest, from going to university. These statistics seem to prove that. Overall, applications to study in Scotland are close to steady which is great news. In November, MSPs rubber-stamped the Scottish Government's decision to let universities north of the border raise fees for students from the rest of the UK. Scottish ministers said the move was the "least bad option" available to them. Today's statistics show the number of English students applying to study in Scotland is down 5.6% this year. Scottish applications to study in England dropped in number by 16.4%. Mr Parker added: "It's a different story for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland applying to come to Scotland to study. Applications are significantly down and it seems clear that some universities in Scotland have made a huge mistake in overpricing themselves, missing out on the opportunity to attract talented students to Scotland. Education Secretary Michael Russell said: "Today's figures will be welcome reading for Scotland's education sector and the resilience shown by applications to Scotland compared to the rest of the UK are a vindication of the approach the Scottish Government has taken on student fees and funding the sector. The full picture around acceptance figures will emerge later this year but high levels of applications from abroad reflect the excellent reputation Scottish universities enjoy abroad. Alastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland, added: "What's really interesting from today's figures is that whilst the overall number of English applicants is down, Scotland's share of those applicants has actually held steady and is the same as last year. Universities in England have seen a sharper drop in English applicants than Scottish universities. We're pleased that students across the UK and overseas continue to recognise the high quality of education on offer in Scotland. However, the Scottish Conservatives Education Spokesperson, Liz Smith MSP said: These figures lay bare the true extent of the inherent inequalities of the SNP's policy on fees. A huge increase in students from the European Union has seen a coinciding fall in the number of students applying from the rest of the UK. I sympathise with those students from the rest of the UK, many of whom feel that they are being financially penalised, because they are being asked to pay annual fees of up to £9,000 to subsidise students from other countries. The Scottish Government's plans are ill-thought out and a calculated measure. They have done little to address the long-term funding pressures faced by the higher education sector in Scotland while also discouraging students from studying in Scotland.