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The National Student Survey: Amplifying the Student Voice and Enhancing University Experiences in Scotland

Last month, the National Student Survey (NSS) results for 2024 were published. Looking at the data, Mark Wild, our Learning and Teaching Policy Officer outlines the importance of this survey and what students think about Scottish higher education. NSS results for 2024 were published in July and speak to the quality of Scottish university education….

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Universities Scotland responds to HESA 2023-23 Higher Education Student Statistics

This week, the HESA Higher Education Student Statistics (UK, 2022/23) were published. In response to this a Universities Scotland Spokesperson has said: “The HESA data set it is a snap-shot from almost two-years ago, before we saw sudden fluctuations in international demand and a further year of the threats of more restrictive changes to UK…

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Where Scottish students are studying – an overview of HESA’s 2022-23 student data

HESA’s student data release in August generated headlines around the balance of Scottish and international students. To get a solid sense of what’s happening with student numbers by domicile, we need to work across a couple of different data sets. HESA’s student data gives us a (recent) historical picture across all domiciles. The most recent…

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Positive news for learners from all backgrounds going to university

The Admissions body UCAS has published its first data release on SQA results day (6 August) showing the number of Scots securing a place at university this autumn for academic year 2024/25. Responding to the results, Claire McPherson, Director of Universities Scotland said: “The number of Scots accepted for study in Scottish institutions has increased…

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Scotland united behind no NDAs in harassment cases since 2019

Yesterday, the Office for Students (OfS) announced new requirements for universities in England to protect students from harassment and sexual misconduct. This includes a ban on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), commencing on 1 September 2024. Scotland’s universities have been united behind a position never to use NDAs or “confidentiality clauses” in cases of harassment since 2019….

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UK Government outlines position on international students

Last week, the Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson set out the position of the Labour Government on international students. She made it clear that international students are welcome in the UK. We strongly welcome this announcement. International students contribute widely to society and to our communities during their time in the UK. Our…

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Response to the next steps on post-school reform: a Scottish Government consultation

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on proposals for legislation to change what public bodies do in the post-school system. This consultation will focus on gathering proposals that aim to simplify the responsibilities for apprenticeships and student support. Following the launch of this consultation, Professor Iain Gillespie, Convener of Universities Scotland said: “Following dialogue…

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Universities “relieved” the Graduate Route for international students has been retained

The UK Government has today confirmed that the graduate route will remain in place for international students of all UK universities. The graduate route allows international students to remain in the UK upon graduation for two years (on average) after successful completing a relevant course in the UK. The UK Government had been expected to…

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Will Whitehorn: The importance of the graduate route to the UK

Published in The Times today, Will Whitehorn outlines the importance of the graduate route to the UK, determining that it should remain as it is. He highlights that the removal or reform of the graduate route would have a negative impact on university finances immediately, and a damaging impact on industry, on growth, on innovation…

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Universities Scotland responds to the Migration Advisory Committee’s report on the Graduate Route for international students  

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has today, published its report evaluating the Graduate Route, as part of student immigration, as commissioned by the UK Government earlier this year. The key recommendation, one of six in the report, is that the Graduate Route should be retained in its current form. The MAC was asked to review…

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