Education experts quizzed on Scottish independence
An independent Scotland will not be able to charge tuition fees from students elsewhere in the UK.
Edinburgh researchers have quizzed higher education policy makers in a bid to determine the effect Scottish independence may have on UK universities.
Experts confirmed that should Scotland become independent, it would no longer be possible to charge English, Welsh and Northern Irish students tuition fees.
There have been some concerns this may lead to an influx of students from England choosing to study in Scotland and avoid paying fees.
However, a University of Edinburgh survey suggests these fears are unfounded.
Researchers interviewed 50 UK policy makers and other stakeholders, as well as 148 people aged 14 to 19 in schools in Scotland and the north of England.
According to their findings, the impact on the flow of students across borders is expected to be relatively small in the short term.
Nonetheless, the report predicts Scotland's higher education sector will face a challenge in maintaining its size and commitment to free tuition.
In order to maintain their current size, Scottish universities will need to attract a growing number of young people from outside of the country, as population trends indicate a decline in the number of young people until 2023.
Scottish policy makers questioned the sustainability of free higher education in light of ongoing austerity in the public sector.
In addition, policy makers in both England and Scotland were sceptical about Westminster's approach to student funding. It was predicted high student debt and uncertainty about repayment rates would derail the system.
Stakeholders in both countries also said higher education policy would be subject to further “seismic shifts” which could have damaging effects on universities long-term.
Professor Sheila Riddell, of the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House School of Education, said: “It is quite clear that whatever the outcome of the referendum in September, policy on higher education tuition fees in Scotland and England will continue to be very high on the political agenda.
“Whilst UK higher education is very successful, all countries face major challenges in relation to the funding and stability of the sector. The higher education systems in the four countries of the UK are tightly inter-meshed, and decisions made in one country have major knock-on consequences for the others.”
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