University Student Caps on Numbers
Dear Education Scotland,
Has Scottish government or any of its agencies issued formal or informal university entrance caps on student numbers.
Is yes what were they and to which universities were they issued
Yours faithfully,
Allan macpherson
Dear Mr MacPherson
Thank you for your request dated 9 June 2015 under the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). In accordance with FOISA we will
respond to you by 7 July 2015.
If you have any queries please contact me quoting case number
FOI/15/00965.
Carolynn Connell
Corporate Support Administrator
Corporate Support Team
Education Scotland / Foghlam Alba
Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54
6GA / Taigh Denholm, Pàirc Ghnìomhachais Ghlinn Almoin, Slighe Ghlinn
Almoin, Baile Lèibhinn
Tel / Fòn: 01506 600203
[1]www.educationscotland.gov.uk
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Dear Mr McPherson
Please find attached a response to your recent FOI request.
Kind regards.
Gillian
Gillian Morrison
HELS, ALSD, Scottish Government
Tel: 44 (0) 300 244 6759 Ext: 46759
[mobile number]
Email: [email address]
Work Pattern: Wed/Thurs/Fri
Tell us how to make Scottish education even better:
[1]www.engageforeducation.org
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Dear Education Scotland,
I should remind you that tge response to my foi request has now exceeded the statutary time limit.
A response by return would be appreciated
Yours faithfully,
allan macpherson
Dear Mr McPherson
The Scottish Government response to your enquiry was attached to my email below of 25 June and was issued within the required timescale.
I have reattached the reply letter to this email and have also undernoted the content of the letter to ensure you are able to access the information.
Please let me know whether you have been able to view the reply.
Kind regards. Gillian
Undernote:
Our Ref: FoI/15/00965
26 June 2015
Dear Mr McPherson
REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 (FOISA)
Thank you for your request dated 9 June 2015 under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).
Your request
You asked:
“Has Scottish government or any of its agencies issued formal or informal university entrance caps on student numbers. I[f] yes what were they and to which universities were they issued?”
Response to your request
As you have not made a request for the release of specific information or documents held by the Scottish Government, I have considered your request and offered information that I hope you will consider helpful and relevant to your enquiry.
Each year the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), on the Scottish Government’s behalf, controls the number of undergraduate places available in certain subject areas at all publicly funded higher education institutions offering these particular courses. The controlled subjects include: undergraduate medicine and dentistry; nursing and midwifery, and teaching. These are areas in which clinical or teaching training is also required and the reason numbers are controlled is to ensure that the number of graduates is in line with workforce planning requirements. You will be able to access further information about the controlled subjects on the SFC’s website via the following link: http://www.sfc.ac.uk/SearchResEnt.aspx?s....
There is no cap on student numbers in the non-controlled undergraduate subject areas, but there is a limit to the number of fully funded places provided for Scottish domiciled and EU students. Universities are responsible for setting their own tuition fees for international students and students from other parts of the UK (rUK), although there is a cap of £9,000 per annum on the fees universities can charge to rUK students. Generally, it is for the universities to decide how many non- fully funded places they will provide, except in the controlled subject areas mentioned above where an overall limit is set. Neither international nor rUK students are able to access the funded places which have been allocated specifically for Scottish and EU students.
As autonomous institutions, it is for individual universities to allocate their funded places based on their own course provision and recruitment processes. To help manage student numbers effectively, universities are able to offer some ‘fees only’ places to Scottish and EU students when they have over-recruited. This means that the University will receive only £1,820 per annum per ‘fees only’ student. They do not receive funding (or ‘teaching grant’) from the SFC in addition to that amount. However, to manage the tuition fee budget administered by SAAS, there is a ‘consolidation limit’ which prevents universities from over-recruiting Scottish domiciled and EU students by more than 10% in the non-controlled subject areas.
The Scottish Government has, however, agreed to a time-limited relaxation of the consolidation limit specifically in relation to ICT related subjects, to help certain universities recruit more students in an area where there is expected to be increased demand from industry.
Your right to request a review
If you are unhappy with this response to your FOI request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by writing to to Aileen McKechnie, Director of Advanced Learning and Science, 5 Atlantic Quay, 150 Broomielaw, Glasgow, G2 8LU or by emailing: [email address].
Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made within 40 working days from the date when you received this letter. We will complete the review and tell you the result, within 20 working days from the date when we receive your review request.
If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner. More detailed information on your rights is available on the Commissioner’s website at: www.itspublicknowledge.info.
I hope the above information is helpful.
Yours sincerely
Gillian Morrison
Higher Education and Learner Support Division
Gillian Morrison
HELS, ALSD, Scottish Government
Tel: 44 (0) 300 244 6759 Ext: 46759
[mobile number]
Email: [email address]
Work Pattern: Wed/Thurs/Fri
Tell us how to make Scottish education even better:
www.engageforeducation.org
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