On Wednesday 18 September 2019, Universities Scotland Director Alastair Sim will give evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee about the impact of Brexit on the higher education sector. Ahead of the session, we submitted written evidence to the Committee which outlines our concerns about the consequences of a no deal exit from…
Tag: Ambition
Concern remains high in universities about no-deal Brexit
Every Scottish university who responded to a survey about preparedness for a no-deal Brexit said they are ‘very’ or ‘extremely concerned’ about the prospect, despite making the necessary preparations for such an eventuality. The analysis was undertaken by Universities UK who assessed its members’ preparedness for a no-deal Brexit ahead of the proposed exit date…
Universities Scotland welcomes new post-study work offer
Reacting to the UK Government’s announcement that international students will be allowed to live and work in the UK for two years after graduating, Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland, said: “This is a very significant and positive announcement for Scottish and UK universities and one that has long had overwhelming cross-party support in Scotland…
Briefing for Scottish Government debate on mobility of talent in the university sector
A debate on the impact of the UK Government’s planned immigration policy on the mobility of talent in the Scottish higher education sector. Ahead of the debate, we took the opportunity to brief MSPs on the importance of ensuring that Scotland remains open to staff and students from around the world. The briefing contains calls…
Scotland’s universities to guarantee offers to care experienced applicants who meet minimum entry requirements
Scotland’s 18 higher education institutions[1] have today (25 July) set out a new commitment that care experienced applicants[2] who meet minimum entry requirements will be guaranteed an offer of an undergraduate place at university. This bold, sector-wide move will be in place for the next admissions cycle, starting this autumn for people looking to start…
Scottish universities receive strong report card from students
This year’s National Student Survey (NSS) results have shown that students studying at Scottish universities are more satisfied with the quality of their course compared with last year. Overall satisfaction with courses in Scotland has improved by one per cent since 2018 and now stands at 84 per cent. The figure matches the UK average…
A Vision for Scotland’s universities in 2030
Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland, takes the long view and sets out our ambition for Scotland’s higher education sector in 2030: Graduation season is the perfect time to launch our Vision for Scottish higher education in 2030 because graduations represent a springboard into the future and a time full of optimism and energy. That’s…
Universities Scotland respond to the second annual report of the Commissioner for Fair Access
Following the publication of the second annual report of the Commissioner for Fair Access, a spokesperson for Universities Scotland said: “There’s a lot in this report that’s designed to keep the pressure on universities and we’ve come to expect that from the Commissioner but there is also a clear recognition of the amount of progress made…
The economic contribution made by Scottish universities
On Friday (31 May), Universities Scotland were asked to respond to comments made at a seminar about the economic contribution made by Scotland’s universities. Part of our response was printed in Saturday’s edition of The Times. The full statement from our Director, Alastair Sim was: “We’re all working towards the same goal, which is to…