HE applicants increase in Scotland

Scotland continues to be a destination for people applying to study at university, said Minister for Employability and Training, Jamie Hepburn today.

Welcoming the latest UCAS statistics today Mr Hepburn said:

“Scotland has a world class higher education system and one that will always be based on the principles of being free, fair and funded.  The latest UCAS figures today show a positive picture for Scotland’s higher education system, with the number of  all applicants to Scottish Universities increasing despite a decrease in all applicants to UK Higher Education institutions.

“Scotland’s universities continue to attract students from around the world, with the number of non-EU international applicants increasing by 6% compared to last year – higher than the 2% increase in the UK as a whole. This is good news for Scotland and we are keen to welcome those who wish to come to Scotland to live, learn and work. The Scottish Government is determined to support our valuable Higher Education sector and  we are committed to working with our Universities to continue to attract the very best students from around the world.

“It has to be said that while we welcome international students from out with the EU we are deeply concerned that these latest statistics also show a decrease of 4% in the number of applicants from the EU. While Scotland fares better than England when it comes to attracting EU domiciles, it is still worrying to see this decrease in applicants, the damaging reality of Brexit. We are urging the UK Government to ditch their hard Brexit model which will no doubt have a hugely negative impact on areas such as Higher Education, not only in Scotland but also in the rest of the UK. 

 “We are very proud of our tradition for excellence in education, and also of our deep-seated sense of internationalism. We want every student who has come from outside Scotland – from the EU or further afield - to study here to know that they are very much welcome. EU and international students are welcome in Scotland.”