MSP for the Highlands and Islands, Emma Roddick, has welcomed figures which reveal that 3,705 students in the Highlands benefited from free university tuition in 2023/24.

The figures, which are the most up-to-date on record, demonstrate the positive difference that the flagship SNP policy of free tuition is making in the Highlands.

Under Labour, students in England and Wales now pay £9,535 a year for tuition fees. This would combine to a total sum of £38,140 for Scottish students over the four-year period of an average university course in Scotland.

Commenting on the figures, Ms Roddick said:

“I warmly welcome the news that 3,705 students from the Highlands attended university free of charge in 2023/24.

“Each and every single one of those students will have saved £38,140 by the end of their degree compared to their English counterparts, thanks to this life-changing SNP policy.

“Labour had previously pledged to follow the SNP’s lead and scrap tuition fees in England – but have instead hiked fees for students to nearly £10,000 a year.

“Under the SNP, we have record numbers of Scottish students securing places at our universities, and recent figures also showed a rise in students coming from our most disadvantaged communities.

“If Labour can’t be trusted in London, they can’t be trusted in Edinburgh – it was the SNP that abolished tuition fees in Scotland, and only the SNP will fight to ensure that access to higher education is based on the ability to learn rather than the ability to pay.”