Further to the answer to question S7W-02595 by Alyn Smith on 17 September 2026, what the policy rationale is for the Student Awards Agency …

Under the Free Fees Initiative of the Irish Government, Scottish-domiciled students may be eligible for free tuition fee funding for approved full-time undergraduate courses at higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland. Students still incur the cost of the annual student contribution charge.The student contribution charge is not a tuition fee but is an additional charge to cover general costs such as student services, libraries, registration and examination fees at a higher education institution in the Republic of Ireland. Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) covers the student contribution fee on behalf of eligible Scottish-domiciled students undertaking an approved first-degree course at specified higher education institutions under a long-standing historical arrangement.Scottish-domiciled students studying in the rest of the UK are required to pay the fees set by the UK Government. The Scottish Government has had to make a difficult decision therefore, that in order to continue free tuition in Scotland for Scottish-domiciled students, and as the majority of Scottish-domiciled students choose to study in Scotland, tuition fee loans will be offered to Scottish students who study in the rest of the UK.