Tuition Fees Pledge

A future Scottish Labour government would keep university tuition fees free, according to its leader.

Jim Murphy will meet with students in Glasgow today to confirm the party's policy.

University tuition fees were abolished in Scotland in 2000 under Donald Dewar and the policy has continued under the SNP.

Jim Murphy will tell students today that he wants Scots to be able to train to be doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers, scientists and much more no matter their background or how much money their parents have. 

He'll also announce a funding package for Scottish universities to ensure they're given support.

The party last week pledged to reduce tuition fees in England from £9, 000 to £6, 000 if they win the general election.

Speaking ahead of the event with students in Glasgow, Scottish Labour Leader Jim Murphy said: “Under Scottish Labour there will be no university tuition fees in Scotland. I want young Scots to be able to train to be doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers, scientists and much more no matter their background or how much money their parents have. That was why Donald Dewar abolished tuition fees in the first place.
 
“Free university tuition isn’t the whole story. For far too many working class kids in Scotland the barriers to university aren’t fees but educational inequality. The fact that just 220 of the poorest kids in Scotland get the grades they need to study at our best universities is a moral scandal.
 
“There is sometimes a certain conceit in Scotland about our education system. As a society we pat ourselves on the back for keeping university tuition free when for too many working class Scots even the idea of going to university is just a pipe dream. That’s not good enough.
 
“Scottish Labour has set out an ambitious £125 million programme to give working class kids the best start in life. We will use this money to support the children who are being left behind by the SNP Government in Edinburgh.
 
“We have also listened to the concerns of universities and that’s why we will use the extra money coming to Scotland to plug any immediate funding gaps as a result of any fees reduction in England. Scotland has some of the best universities in the world, specialising in medical research that saves lives and is vital to our NHS. We won’t allow that to be put at risk.”