John Swinney’s Bbc Papers claim faces Full Fact challenge on fees
John Swinney’s papers claim that there are no university tuition fees in Scotland was challenged after Full Fact said the wording was not quite right. The First Minister and SNP party leader had said in a Scottish election leaflet that there are no university tuition fees in Scotland.
In the 2023/24 academic year, a Scottish Government-commissioned study found that 56% of postgraduate students in Scotland were paying tuition fees. The same study found that 12% of higher national and undergraduate students were paying fees, showing that the system does not cover every student in Scotland.
Scottish Government fee rules
The Scottish government covers tuition fees for those ordinarily resident in Scotland taking their first full-time undergraduate degree. Eligible students do not pay tuition fees, and the government covers the cost of up to five years of mainly undergraduate study for full-time students ordinarily resident in Scotland who are studying in Scotland.
Undergraduate tuition fees for Scottish students are typically £1,820 a year, and students need to apply annually to the Student Awards Agency Scotland to have those fees paid directly to their university. The agency is an executive agency of the Scottish Government that supports higher education students with information and funding.
Students undertaking a second undergraduate degree or repeating more than one year would pay fees. The Student Awards Agency Scotland also covers the cost of the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education for eligible students, and it provides tuition fee and living cost loans to students.
Postgraduate students in Scotland
Postgraduate students are required to pay tuition fees, although some may access grants, scholarships or funding through other bodies. Students moving to Scotland from other UK nations, or from other countries, to study their first undergraduate degree are not eligible for free tuition fees.
The fact check draws a narrower line around the claim than Swinney’s leaflet did. For readers, the practical point is simple: free tuition in Scotland applies to eligible students on a first full-time undergraduate route, while many postgraduate students and others outside that category still pay.
