The Scottish government is to end free university tuition for European Union students from next year.
It said that following the Brexit vote, continuing with this policy would significantly increase a risk of any legal challenge.
Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead made the announcement in a statement to parliament.
He said it was with a "heavy heart" that they were taking this decision from 2021/22.
Figures suggest there are about 16,000 non-UK EU nationals enrolled in Scottish higher education.
Under EU law, the free tuition policy for students based in Scotland meant that EU citizens who came to study needed to be treated the same.
After the Brexit vote, ministers announced a continuation of the free tuition for EU citizens.
However, with the Brexit transition period expiring at the end of December, the Scottish government has said it must end the scheme.
EU students who have already started their studies, or who start this autumn, will not be affected and will still be tuition-free for the entirety of their course, the minister said.
No comments:
Post a Comment