Education secretary Michael Russell hailed the figures as a vindication of the Scottish government’s £1 billion investment in universities and commitment to free tuition.
To date, 35,781 pupils have been accepted to Scottish institutions, up by 244, or 0.7 per cent, on last year, according to figures published by UCAS.
In England, by contrast, admissions have dropped eight per cent, in Wales 5.1 per cent, and in Northern Ireland 4.5 per cent.
“Scotland is the only country in the UK today with an increase in the number of student places for its young people,” Mr Russell said.
“Alongside our commitment to uphold Scotland’s long-standing principle of free education, we invested more than £1 billion in universities this year to protect places for Scottish students.
Register now, read forever
Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.
What's included:
-
Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast
-
New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday
Already have an account? Sign in here