We are welcoming new figures that show more people from disadvantaged areas in Scotland are applying and being accepted into university. The figures come from UK’s shared admissions service for higher education, UCAS, who have released its data resources for the end of the 2022 application cycle. The figures show that the number of applications…
News
Christmas donation to Who Cares? Scotland
This festive period, Universities Scotland has made a donation to the Who Cares? Scotland’s Christmas appeal #ShareTheLove. This is in place of sending out Christmas cards to our members and stakeholders. Who Cares? Scotland’s work, to ensure care experienced people feel loved, respected and equal, is more important than ever this winter. The #ShareTheLove campaign…
Scotland’s universities lead the way in widening access to students with care experience
A new report into the educational experience of students with a care background has hailed the progressive approach taken by Scotland’s universities in committing to a care experience guarantee in 2019, highlighting the positive impact it has already had on this group of students. The report, Next Steps: What is the Experience of Students from…
Universities Scotland and Colleges Scotland call on the Scottish Government for investment now
The leaders of both Universities Scotland and Colleges Scotland have published a joint statement calling for real-terms increases in funding ahead of the Scottish Government’s budget which is due on Thursday 15 December. The statement highlights the alignment between the university and college role in skills development, research and innovation and the Scottish Government’s ambitions…
Cuts to international student numbers should be resisted
Commenting on speculation that the UK Government may look to cut international student numbers, Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland said: “Any attempts to cut international student numbers at Scottish universities would be damaging to universities and the Scottish economy. Every year more than 65,000 students from more than 180 countries study in Scotland. This…
Government must ensure universities receive research funding
Universities Scotland have welcomed a UK Government announcement for additional funding to support the international collaborations and competitiveness of UK research, as a result of delays to the UK’s association to the Horizon Europe programme. This funding can directly support research and wider economic growth in Scotland if the extra funding is ring-fenced for research…
Principals warn of need for sector funding
Two Principals of Scottish universities have spoken to the latest edition of Holyrood about the need for funding for research. Scotland’s universities provide world-leading research and have some of the best universities in the word that attracts many people to Scotland to study. However, there is the significant challenge of keeping these world class researchers and…
Dr David Donaldson joins Universities Scotland
Dr David Donaldson joined us today as a Senior Policy Officer for Research, Innovation and Health, covering Dr Emma Baxter’s maternity leave. David joins us from the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh where he was a research fellow in the field of immunology from 2009. David has a keen passion in bringing people…
Roundtable on student poverty
On Tuesday 11 October, we co-hosted a roundtable on student poverty with the National Union of Students Scotland and the Mental Health Foundation at one of our members, Glasgow Caledonian University. This roundtable was the result of a recommendation from the Mental Health Foundation’s Thriving Learners report to determine what additional support and changes in…
Colleges and Universities CPG: students and the cost of living crisis
On 28 September, the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Colleges and Universities met to discuss the cost of living crisis and its impact on students. MSPs and members of the CPG came together to discuss this very pressing issue and how we can help students through this crisis. The CPG had three speakers, Ellie…