How much will it cost to study in Scotland?

If you're studying in Scotland

Students already living in Scotland normally pay no tuition fees for full-time courses. Check the Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) website for further information.

There are means-tested loans towards living costs while you study and those from low-income backgrounds may also be eligible for a bursary, under the Young Student's Bursary scheme, which is worth up to a maximum of £2,575. To be classed as a Scottish student, you must have lived in the UK and the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for three years immediately before the first day of the first academic year of your course. You must also be ordinarily resident in Scotland on the first day of the first academic year of your course - in other words, not just in Scotland to start the course. Northern Irish, English and Welsh students starting their courses in Scotland will pay a fixed-rate fee of £1,775 a year (£2,825 for medical courses) - these rates are for 2008-09 and the 2009-10 rates will not be available until early next year.

Standard degree courses in Scotland last four years compared to three years elsewhere. Payments may be deferred by taking out a loan, repayments for which will begin once graduates earn over £15,000 a year. Students will be entitled to the same student support packages as in their home country.

Scottish students studying in England, Wales or Northern Ireland will be liable to pay the variable tuition fee of up to £3,225 a year (2009 entry). Payment may be deferred until after graduation by taking out a loan. Repayments start once graduates are earning over £15,000 a year. There is a Students Outside Scotland Bursary available to students studying at a UK institution outside Scotland. Depending on family circumstances, it is worth up to £2,095 (2008-09 rate). It is paid instead of part of the means-tested loan that is also available if you are studying elsewhere in the UK.

Support arrangements for mature students vary. Check with the SAAS for more information.

EU students will be treated in the same way as Scottish-domiciled students.