[Left Hand Drive]

(Original post by Callum828)
Because England charges English, Scottish and EU students the same. Scotland charges Scottish and EU students the same, while leaving out the rest of Britain, even though we're part of the same country and Scottish universities are paid for by British taxpayers.

We get a budget and the Scottish government chooses to use it in this way, to provide Scots with free education.

[bishbash72]

(Original post by Left Hand Drive)
We get a budget and the Scottish government chooses to use it in this way, to provide Scots with free education.

And I'm saying that such a set up is unfair, obviously.

[quavers]

(Original post by Shabalala)
But Scotland aren't allowed to charge people from "Greece or France" to study here it's against EU laws if it was possible they would be charged.

So whilst I'm slogging away doing night shifts whilst studying a BSc degree and saving up to do graduate entry dentistry, my taxes are going towards paying for their fees ... nice ... not.

I guess it's my own fault for being born in England.

[Left Hand Drive]

(Original post by Callum828)
And I'm saying that such a set up is unfair, obviously.

Why its our budget.

[bishbash72]

I've noticed that the only people who think the current set up is fair are students who happen to get free university education. Everybody else thinks its unfair. Funny that.

[medbh4805]

Can't wait to see if the unionists will all go out and get their Irish passports for free fees, or will they pay £9000 on a point of principle

I regret not applying anywhere in Scotland now

[bishbash72]

(Original post by Left Hand Drive)
Why its our budget.

But it's not paid for by Scottish taxpayers, it's paid for by British taxpayers. Were Scotland paying all the taxes for 'your budget' I wouldn't have a problem. But that's clearly not the situation. The Scottish government gets a lump sum from the Exchequer, which all British taxpayers contribute to. Yet benefits like free prescriptions and universities aren't given to the large majority of those taxpayers.

It's easy to say 'Oh yeah but that's just rich Londoners moaning, they can afford it'. But considering that the poorest areas of the UK are in England, and those areas are subsidising rich Edinburghers. Well it hardly seems fair does it?

[StarsAreFixed]

I think it's odd that Scotland can do this. Take Ireland for example. Ireland charges home students €2k reg fees (tuition fees paid by exchequer). But this extends to the EU, and European countries that aren't in the EU. It doesn't exclude NI, it includes all of Britain. I know it's different as Ireland is independent etc. but if they could charge Irish students less and charge EU or even just British students more, they absolutely would, as they badly need more full fees. So I think it's weird that Scotland has a loophole while Ireland doesn't.

[seanfromtheblock]

(Original post by quavers)
So whilst I'm slogging away doing night shifts whilst studying a BSc degree and saving up to do graduate entry dentistry, my taxes are going towards paying for their fees ... nice ... not.

something people tend to forget, is that while our education is free, our maintenance loans are ****ing terrible, which I suppose must make up for it a bit.

I get £940 a year maintenance loan, and because of this I had to save up quite a substantial amount of money for my living costs this year, as well as working as I study, (and working well over full-time when I'm at home).

I go to uni in England anyway, and don't get the free education, but still get the crappy loan. Swings and roundabouts.

[Left Hand Drive]

(Original post by Callum828)
But it's not paid for by Scottish taxpayers, it's paid for by British taxpayers. Were Scotland paying all the taxes for 'your budget' I wouldn't have a problem. But that's clearly not the situation. The Scottish government gets a lump sum from the Exchequer, which all British taxpayers contribute to. Yet benefits like free prescriptions and universities aren't given to the large majority of those taxpayers.

It's easy to say 'Oh yeah but that's just rich Londoners moaning, they can afford it'. But considering that the poorest areas of the UK are in England, and those areas are subsidising rich Edinburghers. Well it hardly seems fair does it?

We do infact we raise more revenue than we back through the Barnett forumula.

[bishbash72]

(Original post by StarsAreFixed)
I think it's odd that Scotland can do this. Take Ireland for example. Ireland charges home students €2k reg fees (tuition fees paid by exchequer). But this extends to the EU, and European countries that aren't in the EU. It doesn't exclude NI, it includes all of Britain. I know it's different as Ireland is independent etc. but if they could charge Irish students less and charge EU or even just British students more, they absolutely would, as they badly need more full fees. So I think it's weird that Scotland has a loophole while Ireland doesn't.

Apparently the Irish government wants to spite the English even less than the Scottish one.

[NR09]

(Original post by quavers)
Scotland's education policy towards England and Wales is a joke.

Live in England? Pay £9000.
Live in Spain of Greece? Go there for free.



They can get their independence in 2014, good riddance I say.

I'm sure that this is European law, something which the Scottish government can do nothing about

[bishbash72]

(Original post by Left Hand Drive)
We do infact we raise more revenue than we back through the Barnett forumula.

Actually it's roughly balanced. And that's only if you count the oil revenue, which is extracted by British companies, with exploration funded by the British government's money, and with the fields lying in British waters. If Scotland were a sovereign nation, then we could talk about contributions in this sense. But while Scotland remains part of the UK, the situation is of all British taxpayers paying for things that only the Scots benefit from.

[bishbash72]

(Original post by NR09)
I'm sure that this is European law, something which the Scottish government can do nothing about

No, but what the Scottish government CAN do is charge equal fees for all citizens of Britain, since its funding comes from Britain, not just from those who live in Scotland.

[bishbash72]

(Original post by seanfromtheblock)
something people tend to forget, is that while our education is free, our maintenance loans are ****ing terrible, which I suppose must make up for it a bit.

I get £940 a year maintenance loan, and because of this I had to save up quite a substantial amount of money for my living costs this year, as well as working as I study, (and working well over full-time when I'm at home).

I go to uni in England anyway, and don't get the free education, but still get the crappy loan. Swings and roundabouts.

I'd rather take a gap year and save up than be paying off my fees when I'm fifty.

[Cyanohydrin]

(Original post by Left Hand Drive)
We do infact we raise more revenue than we back through the Barnett forumula.

Some years we do, other years we can be billions below what we put in (this is including oil) the fluctuation is due to the fact oil prices fluctuate massively.

[InsaneFandom]

Fancy waiting until the end of this UCAS cycle to tell us :|

[Curzon]

What is the situation in other devolved/federal EU states?

[gozatron]

Why didn't i apply to scotland

Haha, poor old unionists of NI.

[Left Hand Drive]

(Original post by Callum828)
Actually it's roughly balanced. And that's only if you count the oil revenue, which is extracted by British companies, with exploration funded by the British government's money, and with the fields lying in British waters. If Scotland were a sovereign nation, then we could talk about contributions in this sense. But while Scotland remains part of the UK, the situation is of all British taxpayers paying for things that only the Scots benefit from.

Source? Education is a devolved matter for Scotland. We choose a government who wanted to provide free education for Scots. Your country voted for the tories and with the tories you got what you have.