05.09.11
Edinburgh to raise fees for non-Scottish students
Edinburgh University is discussing changes in its fees for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This follows the University of Aberdeen raising tuition fees to £9,000 per year, with the fourth year free. Students from Scotland do not have to pay any fees.
Robin Parker, president of the National Union of Students in Scotland, told the BBC: “We fully reject any increase in fees, but we're calling on the University of Edinburgh to set an example by minimising its fee levels and by providing a strong bursary package for the poorest students.
“We recognise that this decision was forced on the Scottish government and institutions by Westminster's disastrous move to treble fees, but we believe the Scottish government has made the wrong choice here.
“Setting a cap of £9,000 could make Scotland's degrees the most expensive in the UK and at the same time, unlike in England, there is no requirement on institutions to protect access for the poorest students through grants and bursaries.”
Professor Iain Diamond, principal of the University of Aberdeen, said last month that maintaining fees at the current level - about £1,800 a year for most degrees - was no longer possible.
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