To be gobsmacked at how lucky we are in Scotland with our low tuition fees? Hats off to you lot elsewhere in the UK - and foreign students!

[49CremeEggs]

Completed my first degree in my teens to early twenties. Got it completely free thanks to SAAS.

I'm starting a second unrelated undergraduate degree in September for which i will have to fund the last two years myself (it's an allied health professional course, so SAAS will still pay the first two years). Each year costs approx £1,850, so I hope to save £4,000 by the time i'm due to start my third year.

However, for the rest of the UK, it's £9,000 a year! For foreign students coming here to study, it's £13,500 a year

Why on earth does it vary so greatly? It's completely unfair.

Makes me realise just how lucky i am to be in Scotland. And i hope SAAS is still around in twelve years' time when my dd will (hopefully) be starting to think about uni.

Not meaning to sound patronising, but hats off to all you non-Scottish students. How on earth can anyone afford to study elsewhere? Do you get loans?

I took out a loan for living expenses during my first degree. Think it totalled to under £3000 for the whole course.

Safe to say, if i wasn't living in Scotland, i'd have moved here in a jiffy if it meant no tuition fees.

[MrsKeithRichards]

Do people really not understand the mechanics of the current situation?

No one is subsidising anyone, only an idiot would make that argument.

Think of Scotland and the Scottish government as a giant council. They get a budget to play with. There are a number of areas classed as devolved which means Scotland get to decide what happens in these areas. Taxation isn't one of then. Now this might be shocking news to some but, as it stands, every tax payer in Scotland pays tax into the same pot as the rest of the UK. We are then given a chunk to spend on devolved issues. Like a council that gets set its budget from Westminster, so do we.

Would you say Bristol city council subsidised Yorkshire council or whatever? No, you wouldn't. Well, it's the same thing.

[FannyFifer]

Good god, you really are utterly offensive the only racist person is you.

There are English SNP MSP's, many many English SNP members, indeed quite a big non Scottish membership of the SNP.

It's not about race or background, it's about a country being free from the shackles of Westminster & a government we didn't vote for.

[FannyFifer]

I have reported your post as quite frankly it is disgusting.

[allgoingtoshitnow]

Its funnier if you sing it in a broad Scot accent.

[LadyBeagleEyes]

I reported a post last night Fanny, which I deemed to be offensive.
But it seems you can be as vile as you want about the Scots, it's not any sort of 'ism, so they always seem to stand.
Imagine if a Scot on here was to give out to the English like we constantly receive on here, (though I've never seen it),I wonder what MN would do.

[NordicNoir]

I'm English, and deplore the twattish, racist, and extremely unfunny views that are being directed towards the Scotland and Scots people on this thread.

[indyandlara]

Racists my arse.

I love how those who support the SNP are racists but comparing supporters with Nazis is just fine.

[OptimisticPessimist]

"The only racism I see is towards Scottish people, it's offensive and absolutely rife on Mumsnet."

This. I am so sick of threads about independence/the referendum being derailed by racist attacks against Scottish people, veiled under a pretence of exposing supposed racism by the SNP.

[NordicNoir]

I was referring mainly to the nazi post - deeply offensive

[FannyFifer]

I have reported several posts including the Nazi one but no comment from Mumsnet.

I have never seen a Scottish poster on here be offensive or racist toward English posters, why would we be?

Every thread with any mention of Scotland, Scottish, independence, free prescriptions etc, we are subjected to this pish, its disgraceful.

[AgentProvocateur]

I think the OP's first post is deliberately goading, and that she's got the gunfight she wanted. Unless she's been living under a stone for the past decade or is particularly thick (which I doubt, if she's doing another degree) she must be aware of funding arrangements for students from/in Scotland. It's been debated ad naseum in the press here.

[AgentProvocateur]

Bunfight. DYAC. Let's hope it doesn't come to a gunfight - whatever happens with independence.

[montmartre]

Posters talking about loans being a 'reasonable rate of interest'- what planet do you live on?
The loans are fixed at 3.5 (3?) % above inflation so currently around 6 or 6.5%... but they won't stay at those levels over the term of the 30 year repayment period. Compare that with my mortgage which is fixed at 0.5% above base rate for a 25 year repayment period. Only the property owning classes will be able to send their children, because they'll draw down on their mortgages. Who in their right mind would take on a student loan for 30 years. It won't be a 'small' amount each month from your salary- have a look at the detailed figures on direct.gov.uk- you're looking at around 30% of net income a month. You can forget your children ever having homes or children of their own; unless they live with you until they're 40, they'll never be able to afford to breed.
As has been pointed out upthread, the mythical graduate job no longer exists. This generation of graduates will be grateful for a NMW job, most will not see salaries above current national averag (c.£26k) until they're 35+.
I am so, so worried about what is going to happen when people actually look at the burden of debt they've taken on, it will stymie an entire generation. As has been pointed out- one cannot move abroad to escape repayment, more shockingly, even bankruptcy does not cancel out your student loan debt!

Please people of Scotland, enjoy what you have now (and I am glad some Britons can get educated this way, I don't begrudge them one bit), but please please think carefully about what you do should you go independent. Please don't saddle young people with this level of debt, an education should be a right, and a free education too. Educated people benefit the whole of society.

[indyandlara]

Thanks you MNHQ.

[ubik]

i'm english living in Scotland and I support the SNP.
This racism/anti English rhetoric about the SNP is so tiresome - i support independence because after living here I think self determination is crucial for the future development of Scotland.

I have been given a hard time about being english occasionally but frankly that sort of attitude singles people out as rather parochial and short sighted.

[13Iggis]

Not Scottish, but am thinking of voting for independence, much to my surprise to be honest. The comments on this thread are the type of thing that would push you over the edge!
I don't think there are many on the thread old enough to remember when all education was free, and you got a grant, housing benefit, and even income support in the summer..
I think it must be so hard to be a young adult today.

[13Iggis]

OP I didn't think you sounded smug at all, more sympathetic in fact.

[mrsjay]

not feeling the scottish love on this thread when hell freezer over and the like Oh well you are all missing out

[OliviaMumsnet]

Ahem

[mrsjay]

sorry oliviamumsnet i meant it is a lovely country everybody should visit at least once and not slate it like some are getting away with,

[MoominmammasHandbag]

I am Welsh, living in England, and as I understand it, Welsh higher education is paid for by poorer care services for the elderly and the disabled and less funding to the Welsh NHS. ( I may be completely misinformed here).
So, out of interest, what do they cut in Scotland to pay for all the free stuff?