The recent move by the UK Labour Government to raise tuition fees in England has reignited debate over student debt, with the SNP reaffirming its commitment to free education for Scottish students.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is expected to announce a rise in fees to £9,535 per year, ending a fee freeze that capped tuition costs in England since 2017/18.
The SNP has responded sharply, with party members highlighting the burden this will place on students in England while pointing to Scotland’s policy of debt-free education as a model for equal access.
According to data from the Student Loans Company, Scotland’s graduates carry significantly lower debt levels than their peers in the rest of the UK, with students in Scotland finishing university with an average of £31,790 less debt than those in England.
The issue of student debt has reached critical proportions, with recent figures showing that 1.8 million graduates in England and Wales now owe £50,000 or more—numbers that underscore the financial pressure on young people south of the border.
Thanks to the SNP’s unwavering support for free tuition, record numbers of students from Scotland’s most deprived areas are securing university places, a key statistic that SNP members say reflects Scotland’s commitment to social mobility and educational equality.
Michael Marra, Labour’s finance spokesperson in Scotland, hinted earlier this year that Scottish Labour might consider models for reintroducing fees, a move that has drawn criticism from the SNP as a betrayal of Scottish values.
Adding to the controversy, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay recently questioned free tuition in his first major speech, aligning himself with England’s fee-based education model, which the SNP argues would undermine access for Scottish students.
SNP MSP Evelyn Tweed, Deputy Convener of Holyrood’s Education Committee, expressed frustration, stating:
“History has shown that under Labour, tuition fees only go up—Labour simply cannot be trusted on this issue, and this latest increase will burden a generation with even higher debt.”
Tweed pointed out that recent Tory governments under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak refrained from raising fees further, and that Labour’s rapid fee hike under Keir Starmer shows a lack of commitment to easing students’ financial load.
“Under the SNP, we’ve seen record numbers of Scottish students attending our universities, including a rise in attendance from our most disadvantaged communities,” she added.
“This progress was only possible because the SNP abolished Labour’s tuition fees when we came to office, and we are committed to ensuring they never return for Scotland’s students.”
With Labour’s policy shifts, only the SNP seems positioned to protect free tuition in Scotland, setting the stage for a stark divide in educational access across the UK.
