EU University Students in Scotland Will Continue to Get Their Courses Paid for

After months of uncertainty, students from EU countries who go to university in Scotland have been told their studies will continue to be funded by the Scottish government, even after Britain leaves the European Union. EU students who are already in Scottish university, or begin their course next year, will receive free education for the entirety of their course. This is estimated to cost Holyrood £300 million.

Scotland offers free university for Scottish students because it's a liberal paradise with politicians who want people to be smarter not dumber. But if you're English, Welsh or Northern Irish and you want to go to university in Scotland you still have to pay, otherwise everyone in Britain would just nip north of the border for their degree, English universities would be left depleted and it would cost the Scottish government so much cash it would immediately go bankrupt.

However, EU legislation meant that European students could enjoy studying in Scotland free of charge instead of paying the stupendously high fees reserved for the rest of the UK. That's because EU anti-prejudice laws guarantee equal opportunities to people within the EU member states. The UK is, at least for now, a member state, but Scotland is a nation within this state, so while they must offer free education to, say, French students, they don't have to offer it to English students.

Of course, the result of the EU referendum meant that free tuition for European students in Scotland was no longer guaranteed. This was worrying news for those starting their four-year courses in 2017 – the thought being they might suddenly be landed with a huge bill halfway through their studies. Last week a number of European students, as well as university staff at Scottish universities, told VICE about their concerns for the future of their education. "The feeling of not being welcome is a bitter one to swallow," one Urban Planning student said.

Since the summer, Scottish universities have been calling for a confirmation from the Scottish government that European students starting their courses next year would not have to pay for their tuition fees once Brexit happens. At party conference on Sunday, the SNP assuaged their fears, making a guarantee to fund EU students' courses, even after the Brexit, as long as they started university in 2017 or before.

Imagine how angry that must make little-England Brexiteers. You can practically hear them writing letters to the Telegraph already.

However, John Swinney, Scotland's education secretary, warned that UK ministers had not yet guaranteed that EU students would be granted visas to allow them to stay for the full duration of their courses, which can last up to five years. And with Amber Rudd in charge of the Home Office, there's still reason to be concerned.

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