Should I move to Scotland for Free University?

[Joannna111]

Hi,

I live near the Scottish Borders and have 2 daughters that will be going into Secondary school next year. As a family we are considering moving to Scotland to take advantage of the free university fees. It would mean if our daughters did choose to go to university they are not saddled with a £27,000 + debt.

Has anyone done this? Do you think we are mad to consider it?

Joanna

If the move make sense for other reasons then it will certainly be a potential bonus. However, it may not still be the case by the time your children are old enough to benefit. A lot can change in that time.

Are they twins ? If so then I can see why fees for two at the same time is daunting - I have 3 within 18 months of age - and probably need to start thinking about that possibility (my oldest would start secondary next year too).

This decision is a long way off for me, but I absolutely do not think you are mad to consider it - how else can you save 27k+ in 3 years?

If you have a job that will let you do this, then there's some beautiful places to live, with no overcrowding, cheap housing etc. so I don't see that it's silly to consider the move.

It depends if they can keep it free for 6 years!
There was a really good thread about the Curriculum for Excellence and what a mangled, incoherent nonsense it is: I'd read that (and more) before deciding tbh. It worried me.

I'd do it. If you live really near the border already I'm supposing the move might not disrupt every aspect of your life; maybe you can keep your present jobs?

Even if not, probably you'll lose little or nothing by making the move, and if Scotland keeps on looking after its kids well into the future - you and your children will avoid huge potention debt. Good on you (and on the Scottish parliament).

Sorry (last line but one) 'potential'!

Good idea - if the move fits the rest of your life.

No guarantees about tuitions fees in 7 or so years time though; either how much or whether any parts of UK will be free.

I would.

But it's not debt in the conventional case and you have to weigh the standard four year degree course in Scotland against three in England.

And whatever the tuition fees, which are not upfront payments - you get a loan, surely the other costs are going to be similar?

Remember, repayments of the loans only commence when earnings are £21,000, anything unpaid is written off after 30 years and only the repayments, not the capital sum outstanding are going to be considered when applying for a mortgage etc.

Just remember all it takes is a change of government in scotland and your move will have been for nothing.

But I like living in Scotland, if you can find a job, it's great. Curriculum for excellence is mind boggling though

I don't understand the panic about tuition fees in England, tbh. They don't have to be repaid until the graduate is earning more than £21K per year and even then, it's in manageable installments. As Keynsian said, you also have to remember it's a 4-year degree here, instead of 3 years in England. I'd also check that there isn't a qualifying period eg 3 year residence before you are entitled to free tuition. I don't know if there is or not, but I'd want to be sure!

Before you do anything quite so drastic, make sure you understand
a) how loans work in England & Wales - see this for an excellent guide - no money needs to be provided upfront (unless you are on a relatively high income, and only then for living expenses) www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-loans-tuition-fees-changes
b) that it may very well change before your offspring get to uni, especially given that Scotland may become independent

If you want to move to Scotland anyway, then you can view this as a bonus feature, but I think you'd be bonkers to move to Scotland purely for this

I wouldn't. There is absolutely no guarantee that they will go to a Scottish university or even go to university at all! There's also the fact that, wherever you go to university, you will finish with a student loan to pay off. As the amount you pay off on your student loan is relative to the amount you earn, it really isn't the end of the world. I think the maximum amount you pay a month is around £150 - a lot of money, but only the top earners will pay that each year.

As a previous poster said, it is a big move and not a necessary one if you do your research.