Would your children study in Scotland if fees applied to them

[NoahVale]

Would your kids go to university in Scotland despite having to pay, unlike those who live there

Yes because essentially it’s no more expensive per year than studying in England so it’s not like it would disadvantage me- I’ve still got to pay the tax to cover the Scottish students whether my child attended or not. The main thing that would put me off is the 4 year course- I know English students can sometimes skip the first year but there are social implications to that- ie you’re missing your “freshman year”.

If there was a university they wanted to go to and it was a good institution for their subject why wouldn’t they?

The students don't feel hard done by?

Yes, the thing that would put me off is the distance (as we live down south), not the fees.

How is any different to choosing any other country to go to university in? They would pay for it either way.

I guess what the OP is saying is that if you’re at a Scottish Uni it might feel like that’s being rubbed in your face a bit. I kind of get that but at the same time there will be many other inequalities- international students paying 30k to subsidise the UK students, arts courses paying the same as STEM courses which are much more resource intensive ( ie cross subsidy), students who don’t need to take loans or work as their parents can afford to cover it.

I guess they could choose to live and bring their kids up in a country with no tuition fees, and subsequently pay a higher rate of income tax than England. If they feel so strongly about it.

My two oldest would probably have done degree apprenticeships in Scotland. My youngest who graduated last year might have had a stab at Oxbridge/LSE if she was paying fees. However she loved her 4 year degree she did at Edinburgh for its breadth and academic rigour so would probably choose this again (or similar at Glasgow/Aberdeen/St A).

It's a different country with different education laws. Why should they feel 'hard done to'?

Because they were poorer?

When they are choosing further education then cost will obviously be discussed. I think you are trying to create an argument. I repeat, Scotland is a different country so education rules are different. Others have also said this. You are being obtuse

Poorer? I’m not sure what you mean. Education is not means tested in Scotland. There are students from all backgrounds at university,

Why would a student loan for fees make anyone poorer compared to some peers while at university?

It’s a goady post. Education is a devolved matter in a different country to England. A country where income tax is higher than England. I’m not sure what your point is other than to create an argument. Are you equally cross with Norway?

I have friends in Scotland. They also get free prescriptions, free hospital car parking as well as free higher education. However, they pay higher taxes. Maybe England should do the same? I am not sure how a 42% tax rate for those earning over 44K would go down.

What you’ll pay
The table shows the 2026 to 2027 Scottish Income Tax rates you pay in each band if you have a standard Personal Allowance of £12,570. You do not get a Personal Allowance if you earn over £125,140.

Taxable income Scottish tax rate:
Personal Allowance
Up to £12,570
0%

Starter rate
£12,571 to £16,537
19%

Basic rate
£16,538 to £29,526
20%

Intermediate rate
£29,527 to £43,662
21%

Higher rate
£43,663 to £75,000
42%

Advanced rate
£75,001 to £125,140
45%

Top rate
over £125,140
48%

Scottish students still have maintenance loans ( although my understanding- please correct me if I’m wrong Scottish people - is that Scottish students are more likely to live at home so may not need them but then that’s also a choice for English students). I suspect that the way students feel about their finances relative to others is more based on maintenance loans and how much parents can top up than on tuition loans which nobody really sees as paid direct to the uni.

I am not being goady, just interested

I loved uni in Scotland but I did feel a bit hard done by when I lived in halls and I was the only one in my kitchen who payed fees. A couple were Scottish, one was “genuine” EU and three were English but had parents born abroad so could claim EU. One had never even been to the country as his grandparents and family had moved over when his mum was about 4! It didn’t put me off going though since as PPs have said it wouldn’t have been any cheaper for me to go in England

I never said I was cross

Awesome 👍

Given that Edinburgh and Glasgow universities are amongst the best in the world, why wouldn’t anyone not want to study in Scotland? Or at Aberdeen or St Andrews for that matter.

I wasn't aware of that

But it was the students point of view I was asking about

Presumably English students at a Welsh university might feel that way? - in terms of the maintenance loan / grant for students from Wales not having any household income dependency.

Back to Scotland the percentage of undergrads at Edinburgh from England is only marginally less than those from Scotland.

only a slightly larger gap at St. Andrew’s, though both dwarfed by international undergrads there.

if English students really felt that hard done by presumably none would choose a Scottish uni.

and let’s face it 75% of them are concentrated at just 4 Scottish unis. Then a further 10% at West of Scotland are in all probability studying at the London campus rather than in Scotland itself.

whilst Scottish students may have no tuition fees to pay if they go to uni in Scotland their numbers are capped.

They won’t be poorer though. They’ll be accessing maintenance loans same as Scottish students. Bigger disparity with Wales as @boys3says as they are far more generous with maintenance support.

I went to Uni of Edinburgh and paid fees, as I came from England. I didnt mind the genuinely Scottish students not paying fees (as they had restricted their uni options, unlike me, as they wanted to stay in Scotland) but it did very much annoy me that there were a sizeable chunk of students there for "free" by claiming they lived with their grandparents/family members in X EU country they had a passport for, despite never living there and growing up with very affluent parents all over the world. Then there I was from a pit village in the north of England paying fees (which I did not mind) and my parents taxes were subsiding their "free" education. Likewise it also annoys me that I know a lot of medics (from EU countries) who have never even worked in the NHS but had their fees paid, and all of the medics I know who paid fees are still in Scotland, working for the NHS and paying the associated taxes.

Ultimately though that is just life and having worked in the HE sector for over a decade, there are definitely more annoying funding issues than whether someone gets a "free" degree. And I loved my time at Edinburgh and would certainly do it again.

My brother also went to university in Wales and has similar thoughts. Yes it is/was annoying but not something that is overly surprising or would put him off going.