SCOTTISH universities have ruled out any need for “border controls” to stem the tide of so-called fee refugees from England applying for student places north of the border.

Concerns were raised yesterday after figures showed for the first time that the number of English students applying to Scottish universities is greater than the number of Scots. Welsh applications have also risen by 20 per cent.

The increase has been blamed on the £3,000 top-up tuition fees that come into effect at English and Welsh universities in the autumn of next year, making Scots universities a cheaper option. But yesterday, Universities Scotland, which represents Scotland’s 21 university principals, said the increase in English and Welsh applications would not squeeze out Scottish students.

“Everyone should remain calm. We don’t need to put up the border controls yet,” Robin McAlpine, of Universities Scotland, said. “When it comes down to it, the increase will only translate into about 200 extra English places, out of a total of about 36,000 first-year student places. That is negligible when spread across the whole sector. We have no concerns whatsoever that this will lead to more Scottish students being rejected.”

Latest figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) show the number of applications from English pupils to Scottish universities rose by almost 18 per cent, or 3,500, to 27,797 for the 2004-05 academic year. The number of Scots applying to their home institutions rose by just 3 per cent to 26,685.

However, the increase in English applications is not new. In the 2003-04 academic year there were 2,500 extra applications, but that led to only 160 extra English students taking up places. In total there are currently 120,000 students at Scottish universities.

Yesterday student leaders acknowledged there was confusion about the introduction of top-up fees in England and a perception that it was already more expensive to study there.

In fact top-up fees do not take effect until autumn 2006, and students who enroll with an English university before then will not have to pay any additional fees at all.

Last June, Jim Wallace, the Executive Lifelong Learning Minister, announced proposals to increase tuition fees for English students studying in Scotland by £2,000 in an attempt to prevent a crossborder flood. No figure has yet been agreed.

Yesterday Mr Wallace said: “Accepting students from all parts of the world does show the high regard in which Scottish higher education is held, not just in Britain. However, we do not want a situation where it becomes impossible for Scottish students to get places at Scottish universities because we are seen as the cheap option.”

Murdo Fraser, lifelong learning spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said: “The effect of fee refugees will mean Scottish students will feel the squeeze when applying to Scottish universities.”

Melanie Ward, president of the National Union of Students in Scotland, said that an influx of English students had been threatening for many months. “This is a trend which is going to continue unless something is done and we need clarity about the cost of education in Scotland,” she said.

Eleanor Waugh, admissions director at the University of Glasgow where 78 per cent of students are Scottish, said there had been an increase in applications from England but it was too early to say whether the surge would affect indiginous students. “It is impossible to know because people may place Glasgow as a second choice, or they may not accept our offer, or they may not meet our conditions. Really we will not know until the summer,” she said.

She added that if the increase did start drastically to change the make-up of the student population to the detriment of the Scottish market then the situation would have to be reviewed.

Edinburgh University confirmed that it had noticed an increase in English applications this year, but added that it was not yet sure how it would translate into places. A spokewoman confirmed that students were not chosen on a domicile basis but on exam results.

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