@Nonmaquillee of course there was lots of protest and debate! I emailed every Scottish politician I could - there was a running thread on FWR at the time, and in Scotsnet.
I think what's happened here is that the ScotGov has begun to believe it's own hype, that it's somehow the more virtuous government, in stark contrast with the goings on at WM. This became a way to shine light on their vision for an open, more equitable Scotland - an idea I have sympathy for, but I disagree with how they're going about it.
Also, Nicola Sturgeon has felt compelled to go for the young vote, and shore up her support within her party, and this issue is how she has attracted them.
That's just my own guess from what I can see - and tbh I don't think Scotland's universities seem to be worse than in other countries, although the HCB has obviously made things much more precarious.
In a country of more than 5 million people, I think you'd be hard pressed to meet anyone who holds these views - although it'll increase in younger age groups, as it is the world over.
The SNP is claiming it's reflecting the views of Scottish society; in my view they're actually trying to create this kind of society, but the general population either doesn't care or actively disagrees with them. But for those who support independence they are the only game in town, and it becomes 'I'll vote for them until we get independence and then vote for someone else'. So that distorts or masks the underlying voter sentiment.