Nearly half of Scots open to change on university tuition fees policy
Almost half of Scottish adults (48%) would support the idea of charging university tuition fees based on the ability to pay, with funding focused on those who need it the most.
New research by Ipsos for the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland finds that there is some openness to alternative funding approaches that prioritise disadvantaged groups or that address skills shortages. While there were mixed views on alternative approaches, support for maintaining some form of Scottish Government funding was widespread.
The survey, carried out in Scotland using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, aimed to provide a baseline understanding of public awareness of higher education funding in Scotland. It also explored views on the value of university, access to university, and how higher education is funded. The report has been published on the Trust's website.
Key findings:
- Knowledge of how university education is funded in Scotland is relatively low among Scots. Overall, two thirds (65%) felt they knew just a little or nothing about it, while just over a third (35%) knew a great deal or fair amount.
- Support for some form of Scottish Government funding was widespread, however the public were divided as to whether it should cover costs for all first-time undergraduate students living in Scotland (44%) or only cover costs for first-time undergraduate students on low incomes, with households who can afford it paying at least some of the cost of tuition (43%).
- Views on access to university are mixed, with the cost of living cited as the main barrier to applying for or attending university in Scotland (72%).
- Priority groups: Among those who supported some form of Scottish Government support, students from low-income households (65%), students studying courses in areas where there are skills shortages (59%), and students from disadvantaged backgrounds (52%) were identified as groups who should be prioritised for funding.
- Funding priorities: priorities for Scottish Government funding for post-school education reflect the importance placed by Scots on employability, equitable access and skills development. They included apprenticeship places in key areas such as trades or accountancy (61%), grants/bursaries for those from low income or disadvantaged households (50%), and opportunities for working age adults on low incomes to upskill and retrain for higher-paid jobs (43%).
Technical note:
- Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,057 adults aged 18+ living in Scotland, drawn from the Ipsos UK random probability online Knowledge Panel, between 5 and 11 December 2024.
- Data are weighted to match the profile of the offline population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.
- Where results do not sum to 100%, this may be due to computer rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of “don’t know” categories.
