SNP shame as Scots uni student numbers plunge to five-year low

THE SNP has been shamed after new figures showed the number of Scots students going to university has plummeted to a five-year low.

- BY DAVID WALKER Scottish Politics Reporter

And two of the country’s most prestigious establishments now have more foreign students enrolled than those domiciled in Scotland.

Nationalist activists and Scottish Government ministers love to brag about free tuition fees for Scots school leavers to attend university, but this is under threat due to higher educational establishments warning of a financial black hole in the next few years as they struggle to afford the policy.

As a result, Scots universities are relying more on fee-paying international students than ever before.

The number of Scots domiciled students has fallen from 180,170 in 2020/21 to 169,130 in 2024/25, a decrease of 10,040 (6%).

Despite this, the SNP published a glowing press release boasting of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) figures because they showed 17.4% of entrants came from the 20% most deprived areas - up from 16.7% the previous year, a rise of just 815.