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Enterprise & Skills Review: Response to phase one recommendations

The Scottish Government published the phase 1 report of its Enterprise and Skills review on Tuesday 25 October. The recommendations include the creation of a new enterprise body for the South of Scotland and a new Scotland-wide board to sit above the existing agencies. No change is proposed for the Scottish Funding Council although the…

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University leaders welcome certainty from Scottish Government on funding for EU students applying for entry in 2017

Mr Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education has announced today [Friday 14 October] that EU applicants, applying to start undergraduate degree course in Scotland’s universities in autumn 2017, will be eligible for free higher education for the duration of their degree programmes even where their course continues after the UK has left…

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Scotland’s university staff, students and principals call for certainty for EU university applicants following announcement by UK Government

The bodies representing university staff, students and principals have joined together to call on the Scottish Government to offer certainty to EU students already applying to Scotland’s universities to start degree programmes in autumn 2017. The call follows an announcement today [11th October] from UK universities minister, Jo Johnson MP, which confirms that EU students…

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Our policy on international students

Universities Scotland is proud that our member institutions are host to over 28,000 students from outside the UK. They are an important part of our university community, and the breadth of their contribution to Scotland’s social and cultural life was summarised in Richer for It. Scottish students benefit from learning alongside international peers, and our…

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Officially one of the best higher education sectors in the world

The Times Higher has published the 2017 world university rankings. Five Scottish universities feature in the top 200 and another 7 universities feature in the list which represents the best 5 per cent of universities in the world. Commenting on the rankings, a spokesperson said: “With five universities in the world’s top 200 and 12…

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Scottish Government Capital Stimulus for HE very welcome news

Higher education is to receive £25 million of the Scottish Government’s new £100m Capital Stimulus Package. The details were announced in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government for 2016-17 on Tuesday 6 September. Responding to the announcement Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland, said: “Universities are delighted to be one of the recipients of the…

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Seizing the opportunities presented in the Blueprint for Fairness

Dame Ruth Silver led the work of the Commission on Widening Access over 2015-16 and its final report, A Blueprint for Fairness. The Blueprint, published in March this year, made 32 recommendations focused on widening access to university and reaching the First Minister’s aspiration that a child born in 2015 in the most deprived areas of…

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University commitment to review admissions to improve access

Today (6th September) The Herald reported on universities’ commitment to review their admissions systems, one of the three work streams Universities Scotland is taking forward as part of our response to the Commission on Widening Access. Speaking to the Herald, Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland, said: “Universities are saying they will do more to…

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Futures not Backgrounds

Universities Scotland has set out its response to the Blueprint for Fair Access, the report of the Commission on Widening Access produced in March 2016. University leaders are to take forward three broad areas of work that address a number of the recommendations made by the Commission. Work will start straight away on a review…

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Universities Scotland responds to the Scottish Government’s Enterprise and Skills Review

We have been pleased to respond to a call for evidence from Economy Secretary Keith Brown MSP, as part of the end-to-end review of enterprise and skills support in Scotland that he is leading. Scotland’s 19 higher education institutions are committed to delivering impact in Scotland and the wider world and want to work as…

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