We have submitted a response to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee regarding regarding Stage 1 general principles consultation on the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill. The Bill looks to introduces a new tax, called the Scottish Building Safety Levy, to be charged on the construction or conversion of residential property developments, with…
Tag: Funding
Pre-budget scrutiny 2026/27: submission to the Finance and Public Administration committee
We have responded to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee’s call for views on pre-budget scrutiny 2026/27, responding to the long term fiscal pressures. In our submission, we highlight the financial pressures that universities are facing, the benefits of further investment in universities and suggestions of actions and priorities for the Scottish Government…
Good news: university students are satisfied with their experience. What does that teach us?
Universities Scotland Director, Claire McPherson, takes the positives and some policy lessons from the 2025 National Student Survey results, as published on 9 July. The National Student Survey results for 2025 are out and the top line is that our students are happy with their experience of higher education in Scotland. In the 2025 survey,…
Prosper puts universities at the heart of policy recommendations underpinning growth in turbulent times
Universities are a key part of Scotland’s growth plan for turbulent times Prosper, Scotland’s membership organisation for all sectors and all industries, has today (25 June) published a new policy blueprint focused on unlocking growth in turbulent times. Framed within three national priorities of achieving a stronger economy, a Scotland where we get things done…
Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill; call for views
Following a call for views from the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee, we have submitted our views on the Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill. We have set out our support the Bill’s primary policy objective, as set out in the Policy Memorandum (para 7), to: “enable funding for…
University funding allocations for 2025/26 do not give the sector the financial support needed at a time when it has never been more necessary
The Scottish Funding Council has today (Thursday, 4 April) published its funding allocations for universities for academic year 2025/26. This follows the Scottish Government’s budget settlement for universities as announced in December. The allocations set out teaching funding for Scottish undergraduates, research and innovation funding and other, smaller grants. Total teaching funding allocated to universities…
Universities revise budget bid to Scottish Government upwards as there is no scope to absorb increased costs
We have taken the unprecedented step of increasing our 2025/26 budget ask of the Scottish Government. Since we submitted this in September, there have been two significant changes in our funding environment. Firstly, the announcement in the UK Government’s autumn budget that there would be an increase in employer National Insurance Contributions (ENIC) 2025/26. We have…
Academic year 2025/26: an increase in tuition fees and maintenance loans in England
On Monday 4 November, the Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson announced that tuition fees in England would increase by 3.1% from £9,250 to £9,535 in academic year 2025/26 and there will be an increase in maintenance loans, in line with inflation. Responding to this announcement, a spokesperson from Universities Scotland has said; “England…
Scotland’s universities still have another budget to contend with
With the UK Government’s budget now delivered, November sees a frenzied month of activity for the Scottish Government as it crunches numbers ahead of its own budget for 2025/26, to be announced on 4 December, writes Universities Scotland Director Claire McPherson. Spare a thought for Scotland’s universities, facing the prospect of all that pre-budget speculation…