Higher education and devolution: a Scottish perspective Professor Anton Muscatelli

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Higher education and devolution a Scottish
perspectiveProfessor Anton Muscatelli
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The higher education sector in Scotland

• Scotland has 20 higher education institutions.
• We currently have 210,000 students studying in
  Scottish universities.
• The sector has an annual turnover of 2.1
  billion, with just over half of that income
  coming from private sources.
• The sector employs just under 35,000 people.
• Unsurprisingly the sectors biggest expenditure
  is its staff. This accounts for 59 per cent or
  1.3bn of total sector expenditure.

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The start of devolution in higher education policy

• We want to ensure that the high quality of
  education and the strong research base are
  maintained. We want to participate in the
  expansion of HE but also operate throughout the
  UK. Given assurances on these points, we see the
  whole thing as an opportunity for doing something
  good in Scotland.
• Professor John Forty, Chair of the Committee of
  Scottish University Principals and the then
  Principal of the University of Stirling in 1991

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Summary of devolved powers relating to higher
education

• Education is a devolved matter under the terms of
  the Scotland Act 1998. The Scottish Parliament
  has the power to legislate in this area and most
  matters relating to higher education are within
  the controls of the Scottish Parliament.
• The Scottish Parliament has the ability to change
  school-level qualifications, school leaving age,
  student funding arrangements, level of funding
  for higher education institutions.

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Policy divergence student funding
1999 Devolution. Flat rate tuition fee of
1,000 across UK just introduced.
2006 Divergence England introduces variable
tuition fees. Up to 3,000 per yr
2001 Divergence Scotland introduces graduate
endowment instead of tuition fees.
2007 Divergence Scotland abolishes graduate
endowment. Home students pay nothing towards HE
Scotland
Scotland
Scotland
England
England
England
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Divergence re-convergence Fresh Talent
initiative
Timeline
2005 Over 4,000 people from 150 countries
successfully applied to live and work in
Scotland.
2004 - divergence Scotland introduces Fresh talent
2008 re-convergence England introduces its own
version of the Fresh Talent scheme.
1999 devolution
Scotland
England
Scotland
Scotland
England
England
England
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Devolution hasnt meant separation

• UK wide bodies or initiatives exist in the
  following areas
• UCAS admissions
• Research Councils
• Research Assessment Exercise
• Pay-negotiations

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Global competitiveness

• Four Scottish universities feature in the top 30
  of 2009 Times Good University Guide.
• Three Scottish universities feature in the Times
  Higher Top 100
• Three Scottish universities are in Shanghais top
  200 for academic ranking
• One per cent of worlds research publications
  with less than 0.1 per cent of worlds population
• Scotland leads top international competitors in
  regard to research quality as measured by the
  number of citations per million spent
• International students comprise 16.1 of the
  student body in Scotland.

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The impact of devolution

• the creation of the Scottish Higher Education
  Funding Council could be the best news for a
  long time for Scottish higher education.
• Sir William Fraser, Principal of the University
  of Glasgow speaking in 1991

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Scotlands population density
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UHI Millennium Institute

• UHI became a higher education institution in
  2001.
• UHI is the only higher education institution
  based in the Highlands and Islands
• Over 7,500 students across 14 different campuses
  research centres

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Location of Scottish HEIs
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Demographic projections number of 18 year olds
2006 - 2027
Scotland
The 18 year old population of Scotland is
projected to decline at the end of the period by
11 per cent, having dipped by close to 19 per
cent between 2009 and 2020.
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Demographic projections number of 18 year olds
2006 - 2027

• England
• The population change for
• England over the 22 year
• period is slightly more
• positive than the UK.
• By 2027 the projections show
• a marginal increase in 18 year
• olds.
• The major dip between 2009
• and 2020 is 15.5, which is
• slightly less severe than the
• projected reduction for the UK
• as a whole.