St Andrews University urges government to scrap plans for English student cap

The UK government is to impose controls to prevent ‘over recruitment’.

It means universities north of the border will not be able to increase the intake of English students by more than 6.5 per cent.

It comes as part of plans by the government to cap the number of undergraduates that universities in England can teach in 2020-21.

A University of St Andrews spokesperson criticised the lack of consultation.

“St Andrews is currently UK University of the Year and has been at the top of the UK National Student Survey for over a decade, while our neighbours Dundee have twice been UK University of the Year for Student Experience, yet this looks like an attempt to prevent bright students from south of the border studying at several of the UK’s best universities,” they said.

“It is deeply regrettable that there has been no consultation with universities in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland about this, which raises broader concerns about the extent to which higher education in the devolved nations, and its critical importance to the UK economy, is even being thought about at Westminster.”

North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie and MP Wendy Chamberlain have called on the UK Government to abandon the proposals.

Mr Rennie said: “Imposing a crude cap with no consultation, in the middle of a global pandemic when universities are already reeling from the financial body blows that are the virus and Brexit is an ignorant act.

“Our universities are being punished for the offences of others and it will undermine the very institutions that could help us out of the economic recession we now face.

“The UK Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson need to stop before he causes damage at a time when government should be helping us get through the biggest threat to our universities for generations.”

Ms Chamberlain added: “For a UK-wide approach to stop the damaging competition for students, the government needs a consultative approach with the whole of the UK, not a crude cap which will do more damage to the universities here in Scotland.

“This is an overstep by the UK government and they must take a step back to think, working with the devolved governments for a system that works for our local universities.”