Scotland wants more overseas students to stay after graduation

Scotland has announced plans to diversify its international student intake and retain more overseas learners after they graduate.

Unveiling the country’s first international education strategy on 7 February, the Scottish government said it would launch a new “talent attraction and migration service” later this year to provide information and advice for students considering staying in Scotland post-graduation to work in “growth sectors”.

It will also use its nine international offices to promote transnational education by Scottish education providers, and support the work of Connected Scotland in promoting Scottish universities and their research overseas.

There will also be greater engagement with Scotland’s diaspora and alumni communities, while a pilot project for an Erasmus replacement scheme – likely to be known as the Scottish Education Exchange Programme – will take place in 2023-24.

The strategy notes there were 83,000 international students from 180 countries in Scotland in 2022-23 – representing about a quarter of all students in the country – with this cohort contributing £4.2 billion in economic benefits that year.

It does not, however, mention plans to increase this number or any targets. Previously, the UK’s international education strategy, refreshed in 2021, restated a target of 600,000 international students by 2030, which was subsequently achieved in 2022, more than a decade early – with some pundits believing this number has now become a de facto cap on recruitment.

Instead, the Scottish strategy seeks to “attract students, staff and researchers from outside the UK: to help diversify our international student population; and support them to maximise their contribution to Scotland”.

It observes, however, that Scotland is an “outward-looking, inclusive nation that values our international education capabilities and export potential” – which could be viewed as a rebuke to the Westminster government’s decision to ban taught postgraduates from bringing family members, which took effect last month.

A review of potential abuse of the UK’s graduate visas is also under way. In contrast, the Scottish National Party has put forward plans for a five-year post-study work visa if Scotland was to become independent, the strategy says.

Launching the plan at Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland’s higher education minister, Graeme Dey, said the “strategy sets out our collective aim to create the conditions for our universities and colleges to continue to flourish”.

“In the coming months and years, we will continue to work with Scotland’s universities and colleges to help them diversify their international student, research and staff population by enhancing our reputation as a world-leading safe and inclusive country, with open-minded social policies,” he continued, adding that the administration hoped to “maximise the social and economic benefits of international higher education” and “continue to promote Scotland’s world-leading research and knowledge exchange sector on the global stage”.

Andrea Nolan, Universities Scotland’s international committee convener and Edinburgh Napier’s vice-chancellor, said the strategy “gives us a platform, working together with government and other partners, to further develop these positive links to strengthen the sector’s contribution to the economy, society and culture. It also looks to deepen support for the full breadth of universities’ international role.

“We’re already known internationally for the quality of our higher and further education, but what may be less well understood is the role our universities and colleges play as major contributors to inwards investment and the attraction of talented people who want to live and work here,” said Professor Nolan, adding: “Working in partnership, we will build on all elements of our international work to grow our reach and impact.”

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com