Non-deprived Scottish students barred from uni places

[Sorefootouch]

The only Scottish students taken by Edinburgh university last year to study law came from deprived neighbourhoods, regardless of grades. Is this a good thing? If my child wants to go to University of Edinburgh and study law do we have to move to a deprived neighbourhood before applying? Is this fair? My child goes to an average Scottish state school and is predicted to get all A’s at higher.

www.scotsman.com/news/politics/students-from-less-deprived-background-have-door-closed-to-university-due-to-snp-funding-approach-3983059

Theres a lot of good aspects to widening access but this feels like an overcorrection.

Sorry about the bad grammar "There are", in case anyone thinks I didn't go to a good school.

They HAVE to stuff with overseas students to make the books balance. They have no choice

No they have a choice. Scots law is particular to Scotland. It is irresponsible to restrict the course to Scottish students. And it isn’t ok to find it with Canadians.

Hehe, that is exactly what Oxbridge is claiming. They really need the fees from the overseas students’ - some pay as much as GBP70000 per year for things such as medicine. The 10000 per year they get from British students isn’t enough. They are so poorly funded by Westminster etc etc. - how can they possibly keep up with Yale etc otherwise - bladibla
It is in the nature of every institution to look out for themselves foremost.

Have you seen the costs of the top US degrees they're competing with?

Yale $59000 pa - our overseas fees must seem a bargain...

If a course is for something like Scots Law or the Primary Teaching qualification, are they not more likely to have Scottish students than English or international students given that the qualification can only really be used in Scotland? So therefore pupils who don't meet the WP criteria might still have a good chance?

No because the Scottish government
caps the number of Scottish places the university is allowed to offer, so if there is any spare capacity on the course it will be allocated to non-scots. I understand that it is worthwhile an English student studying law in Scotland as you can do conversion courses. Someone might correct me.

What’s wrong with studying law at Herriot Watt, also in Edinburgh? Or in Glasgow or in Dundee for that matter?

I do try to sympathise but this attitude is a very privileged one. Think of the young people who grow up in the North/Highlands/other rural areas…they will have no choice but to leave home at 17/18 years of age to move hours away from home to continue their education… They will have no choice but to pay for accommodation so thank goodness they don’t have to pay fees as well.

@Sorefootouch I think those numbers of international, home and rUK are misleading. Edinburgh university now encompasses the art college and moray house. How many students on primary and secondary teacher training courses will be international students or undergraduate art students?

higher education in Scotland is not really the gift to the people:

Science graduates can struggle to get funding for a PhD. The lucrative MSc market of paying around £20k for a one year course, this is excluding living costs, is rampant in biological sciences.

many get round the lack of spaces allocated by the Scottish government to Scottish students by accepting a place on any relevant first degree then PAYING to do a conversion or a MSc. It’s a long road and costly.
I know of sports science graduates going on and paying to do physiotherapy; sociology and history graduates taking on law conversion course or getting on the law degree course paying as a second degree; biomedical sciences and then on to doing medicine; zoology then veterinary medicine…

@Yolo12345 and do they ever come back? Where are the jobs in rural areas apart from in hospitality?
I live in rural Scotland and we struggle to get teachers, doctors, dentists and even farm vets.

Actually many of us are making the point @Yolo12345 that Scottish students who get the grades but don't make the free fee cut off point should be allowed to pay fees, that way at least they have opportunities that are par with their English equivalents.

It seems odd to have a funding policy that directly encourages the movement of young Scottish people to England. I know the middle classes are mostly hated, but it's us who pay most of the taxes once we are working.

I doubt any of the Canadians will be hanging around to work in Scotland and the English students are unlikely to base themselves in a country with such a low bar for higher rate taxes and the uncertainty of another Independence referendum all the time.

I wouldn’t send any of my DC to study law in Scotland - unless I wanted them to practise and live there long term. When they can do any 3 year degree course in England, then a law conversion, followed by the mandatory 1 year LPC and 2 year training contract in England. At that point they are fully qualified in England. If they then wish to qualify in Scotland there is a pathway www.chambersstudent.co.uk/where-to-start/becoming-a-lawyer-in-scotland

Why would I/they pay to do a 4 year course instead of a 3 year course and then have to convert anyway? Makes no sense to me?

Agreed rookiemere it's obvious from this that Scottish students from non deprived backgrounds need to consider their options in the whole of the UK and wherever else they can get in. Not quite the intended consequence.

Yes and what I'm saying is that there are more educational institutions than just Edinburgh university! Maybe it's not a perfect policy but at least they are trying to do something to widen access. Let's judge in a few years when we see what the outcome of the policy is.

Also there's more to living in Scotland than tax rates...! Many people from all over the world choose to live in Scotland for all sorts of reasons. Some of these people even support these Scot gov policies, believe it or not!

I actually had a friend who's father had a hand in preventing her from getting a place at the highly prestigious art school he taught at. She instead went to an unremarkable new art collage in a small town and it was the making of her, she was always going to be successful but learning that things always don't go your way and having to establish herself anew in a place she had no status really helped her develop a better outlook and attitude.

As you know, some return and some don't ever, some move abroad and some settle in more urban environments. The reasons are complex - job opportunities, family obligations, partners, infrastructure etc...but that is not what we are discussing here.

There are a wide variety of educational institutes in Scotland. People have a right to apply to one of their choosing and that meets their needs, and have their application properly considered on its merits. This is not happening to our students. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.

Edinburgh university already know how it’s panning out; students most likely to drop out of Edinburgh university are white Scottish male student from a comprehensive.

You are absolutely tone deaf to how hard it is for children from deprived areas to get into FE, let alone top universities.
Aw and Bile ur heid!

The OP appears to love in a parallel universe, where no Scottish students attend Scottish universities.

I must have been dreaming when I obtained my degrees. Bizarre.

I don’t think anyone has been tone deaf here! One of the main points of agreement is that more needs to be done to get deprived students into university. The point is that this shouldn’t be done at the expense of other Scottish applications.

Err, we are talking about admissions that happened last summer.

Honestly, this thread has strong tones similar to UfT.

No basis on reality. Conspiracy theories. Lack of actual evidence.