How are the SNP Scottish Government supporting Higher Education?

We will keep access to university education free of tuition fees. We will not introduce front door tuition fees nor backdoor graduate taxes.

Over the next five years, we will implement the recommendations of the Widening Access Commission, which was set up by the Scottish Government to develop plans to help more students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Scotland to enter and succeed in higher education.

We are also undertaking a review into the effectiveness of the student support system in Scotland, which will look at the most effective support for the poorest and most vulnerable students, the support available to those in further and higher education and the current repayment threshold and period for student loan debt.

By 2030, we want 20 per cent of students entering university to be from Scotland’s 20 per cent most deprived backgrounds. We are already making strong progress with 13 per cent more students from deprived backgrounds getting a place at university in 2017.

We have appointed a Commissioner for Fair Access to report and advise on access. And we will guarantee a university place for every care experienced young person meeting the entry requirements and provide them with a full bursary.