Now Reading: Progress on widening access to Higher Education
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Progress on widening access to Higher Education
More young people from Scotland’s poorest communities are getting into University than ever before
As young people across Scotland await their exam results, Graeme has welcomed new figures showing the SNP Government’s strong progress on widening access to higher education, particularly for students from Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities.
The latest data reveals that 5,445 young people from the most deprived areas in Scotland entered university full-time to study for their first degree in 2023-24. This is the second highest on record, and represents a 37% increase since the SNP established the Commission on Widening Access, a key initiative in making higher education more inclusive.
Across all full-time undergraduate courses, including those at colleges, 20.8% of students came from the 20% most deprived communities, a major step toward the SNP’s 2030 goal of achieving parity of access.
With retention rates improving and the number of Care Experienced young people entering university increasing, these figures make clear that more young people from deprived backgrounds are not just sitting exams full of potential, they are going on to higher education and realising that potential.
This SNP Government is proving that with the right policies, we can tear down the barriers that hold young people back.
GRAEME
These new figures are incredibly encouraging and thanks to the work of our colleges and universities, and the SNP’s continued commitment to free tuition, investment in support, and a commitment to fairness, the door to higher education is more open than ever.
Our local universities are stepping up to the challenge and I’m proud to see our Scottish universities making real progress.
As students across Scotland receive their exam results, I want them to know that their futures should be defined by their ambition and their talent, not their postcode. The SNP will keep working to make that a reality.
