The University of St Andrews has matched the University of Edinburgh by charging £36,000 for a degree for English, Welsh and Northern Irish students from 2012/13, with £9,000 fees across the full four-years.
St Andrews now joins Edinburgh University as the most expensive places to study at in the whole of the UK.
Robin Parker, President of NUS Scotland, said:-
“By setting the price of a degree at £36,000, another Scottish university principal has failed their students. St Andrews now join Edinburgh University in earning the shameful distinction of the UK’s most expensive universities. Even the cost of attending Oxford and Cambridge, while still incredibly large, with students paying on average around £25,000 for their degree after fee waivers and bursaries, is small in comparison to these devastating costs.
“These fees decisions are becoming a farcical battle to see who can get away with charging the highest fee, and who can shamelessly cash in on students the most. St Andrews and Edinburgh are making it clear to students from the rest of the UK that it’s not their academic ability, but the size of their parent’s bank accounts, that really matters.
“It’s important to be clear where the blame lies for these outrageous fees. The Westminster Government, in trebling fees down south, is the reason why we are in this situation. In Scotland, the Government and the Parliament have taken a different path. They have listened to the students and the voters and refused to introduce fees for Scottish students, protected places and promised to improve student support. Thanks to the commitment of the Scottish Government, and the Parliament, Scotland has lead the way in the UK when it comes to looking out for the interest of students.
“When the Scottish Government entrusted principals to set fees for students from the rest of the UK, they gave them more responsibility than their counterparts were given down south, with the reasonable understanding that institutions would do what was in the best interest of students, not their bank accounts. Sadly, the principals have let down students, they’ve let down the Government and they’ve let down Scotland’s educational tradition.
“It’s now perfectly clear that some principals could not be trusted with this responsibility. In the future, principals should not be surprised if the Government reverses further damage to our world-class reputation for education by reining in their power to set such outrageously high fees for students from the rest of the UK.”
