Northern Ireland Conservatives’ spokesperson, Annika Nestius-Brown, has asked for urgent clarification on reports that Irish passport holders from Northern Ireland may be exempt from university fees in Scotland, while British passport holders will be charged up to £27,000.
“We’d previously flagged up what appears to be a glaring loophole in the rules for Scottish universities, and it now appears that universities’ admissions departments themselves believe that an Irish passport will entitle students from Northern Ireland to free tuition, while Northern Irish students holding a British passport will have to pay. It is outrageous that one student from Northern Ireland may be able to get their course for free, while their next door neighbour could be charged £27,000 for the same degree at the same university, just because they hold a British passport rather than one from the Republic of Ireland. In fact it’s difficult to imagine a more straight forward case of discrimination.”
“The Scottish Government must clarify immediately whether the qualifying criterion for free fees is residency in another EU country or simply holding another state’s passport. The confusion emphasises how absurd and discriminatory the developing situation around university fees is - with different prices for students from different regions of the UK.”
“It’s wrong that English, Northern Irish or Welsh students should have to pay more than Scottish students, or those from elsewhere in the EU, to take degrees in Scotland. It’s absurd that Scottish, Welsh and English students should have to pay more than Northern Irish students or those from the Republic of Ireland, for example, to take a degree in Northern Ireland. And it’s absolutely preposterous that some universities are indicating one student from Northern Ireland may be charged £27,000 for their degree, while another gets it for free because they hold an Irish passport! This whole situation needs to be sorted out and the devolved administrations need to act immediately.”