WIREDGOV

1,790 more students were in Higher Education in Scotland in 2014/15 compared to the previous year. 

The figures come from the Higher Education Students and Qualifiers at Scottish Institutions 2014/15 publication by the Scottish Funding Council which also shows the following:

• Scottish-domiciled entrants to Higher Education from the 20 per cent most deprived areas increased by 0.1 percentage points compared to 2013-14
• The number of qualifiers from Higher Education at Scottish universities and colleges has increased by 14,120 (17 per cent) since 2006/07
• Young people in Scotland are more likely to participate in Higher Education by the age of thirty than they were in 2013/14.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Angela Constance said:

“These figures further underline excellence in Scottish Higher Education. The number of qualifiers remains high and a rise of 17 per cent compared to 2006/07 both shows how far we’ve come and demonstrates the clear value we’re getting from an annual investment in our college and university sectors.

“Our colleges are fully focused on supporting our young people into jobs and our universities remain globally renowned. Both have a significant role to play in growing Scotland’s economy. 

“I am also pleased to see further progress on widening access but we need to be very clear that more needs to be done. The Commission on Widening Access delivered its final report last week and the Scottish Government has already accepted recommendations on targets and students with experience of care.

“Careful consideration is needed on the detail of the Commission’s other recommendations and we will work closely with key stakeholders on how best to take this work forward. But there can be no doubt that we are determined to make urgent progress on achieving our ambition of equal access.”

Notes To Editors

Higher Education Students and Qualifiers at Scottish Institutions 2014-15 can be found here and Students eligible for funding 2015-16 can be found here.