News
Proposal to Charge Graduate Contribution in Scotland
- 02 November 2010
Following the Browne Report, there has been a flurry of media interest in both what university students will pay for their studies and how courses will be funded in the future. While in England students pay fees for their studies, students in Scotland have these paid for by the state.
In England, the proposed lifting of the cap on these fees made headlines recently with the fear that some of the more prestigious institutions would price their qualifications beyond the reach of the financially disadvantaged.
Now in Scotland, Alistair Sim, director of Universities
Scotland, has suggested that graduates should make a financial contribution
towards the cost of their degree studies in proportion to their income.
His proposal comes after former Universities Scotland convener and current
principal of Glasgow University Anton Muscatelli spoke in favour of a graduate
contribution dependent on income in September 2010.
However, First Minister Alex Salmond has indicated his reluctance to charge
students in Scotland. Recently, he used First Minister's Questions to state
that a green paper due in December 2010 would set out options for funding the
sector with a view to finding a solution by the end of 2011.