Tuition fees have not deterred young people throughout Britain from accepting places at Scottish universities and colleges, figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service show. High numbers are in line with last year when students tried to gain entry before the changeover.
More than 21,000 Scots have already won places at UK institutions, against last year’s final total of 25,415.
Critics claimed English and Northern Irish students would reject Scottish universities because of the extra year’s fees for an honours’ degree.