Chance of free tuition at Scottish universities could attract more Hong Kong students to country

Hong Kong students planning to settle in the UK with British National (Overseas) passports will be eligible for free university education in Scotland once they have lived in the country for three years. The offer, which will take effect in the next academic year, will allow Hongkongers to get free or lower university tuition fees in Scotland two years earlier than they can at present. Overseas education specialist Angus Tang Chi-wing on Thursday said it would be “extremely attractive” for students and parents as they could save hundreds of thousands of pounds and still study at highly rated universities in Scotland. But he added Scotland had not been a popular choice for Hong Kong students because of its northern location and cold weather. The eligibility extension was introduced last month after the Scottish government decided to let a wider range of immigration statuses qualify for free tuition. The decision came after a court ruling that an Iraq-born student who has lived in Scotland for nine years, but missed out on eligibility for free tuition fees by 58 days, had her human rights breached. The Post earlier asked the Scottish government if the free university education extension covered the holders of BN(O) visas – a bespoke scheme for Hongkongers that leads to British citizenship after six years. A spokesman for the Scottish government said the extension of free university education covered the holders of BN(O) visas, as long as they complied with residency rules. “The new criteria for tuition support being introduced from the start of the 2023-24 academic year will cover any applicant who has been granted a form of leave to enter or remain in the UK, where this has not yet expired,” the spokesman said. “This would include BN(O) visa holders, provided they have been ordinarily resident in the UK for three years and are ordinarily resident in Scotland on the relevant date.” BN(O) migration scheme for Hongkongers to stay for now: British diplomat The Scottish government’s website said “ordinarily residents in Scotland” meant people should live in the country for several years by choice throughout a set period, but did not spell out a specific time. “As set out in the Ordinary Residence schedule to the regulations, a person moving to Scotland purely for educational purposes would not be deemed to be ordinarily resident in that country.” The spokesman added that Hongkongers living in the rest of the UK would be eligible to pay the fees levied on students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. “Applicants who have been granted a form of leave to enter or remain in the UK, including BN(O) visas, and have been ordinarily resident in the rest of the UK (RUK) for three years will be eligible for the RUK fee rate of up to £9,250 [US$11,712] for courses at Scottish higher education institutions,” he added. The UK government set up the Hong Kong visa scheme in 2021 after the Beijing-imposed national security law came into force a year earlier. There were about 1,200 Hong Kong students studying in higher education institutions in Scotland in 2020-21. Tuition fees charged for international students studying in Scotland varies by university and subject. The prestigious University of Edinburgh, the most popular with Hong Kong students, charges international students between £24,500 and £35,000 a year. A UK government document published in April 2021 said BN(O) visa holders would still be international students for fee purposes until they completed their pathway to settlement and were given indefinite leave to remain. “To qualify for home fee status in the UK, a person must have settled status or a recognised connection to the UK. There are also requirements associated with ordinary residence in the UK,” it said. Some concern groups, members of the British parliament and students have appealed for an end to international students fees imposed on Hong Kong students using the BN(O) visa route to settle in Britain. “The current higher education rules place an unnecessary impediment to educational opportunity, since BN(O) visa holders will not be eligible for home fees status until they have lived in the UK for five years, and so would face much higher university fees, while being ineligible for student loans,” an open letter signed by several British MPs and sent to UK government last year said. Number of Hongkongers in independent UK schools up nearly fivefold in 2 years Tang, director of Hkies Overseas Education & Study Tours, said the new arrangement was an attractive option for Hong Kong parents and students and could make Scotland a more popular choice for degree studies. “In Scotland, the University of Glasgow, the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh are the top three universities,” he said. “The offer is so appealing to Hong Kong students and the new arrangement could help parents save the tuition fees for at least HK$370,000 [US$47,435] if they are willing to reside in Scotland.” Tang said Scotland also needed an influx of young people to tackle its problem of an ageing population and workforce shortage, adding that the country offered many job opportunities for graduates. Over 1,000 adult children of Hong Kong BN(O) holders eye expanded UK scheme Scotland has not been a popular choice for Hong Kong students as it took four years to get an undergraduate honours degree, he said. It takes three years in the rest of the UK. “Scotland is a place most parents will regard as a very cold place and they need to get there by transfer as it has no direct flights [from Hong Kong]. It, therefore, drives parents and students away,” he added. But he said: “I think things may take a turn if they are given free university education.” Tang added the changes would only affect people who would like to settle in the UK through the new pathway or send their children, especially in the lower forms of secondary schools, to study overseas.