27 May 2008
New regulations in Scotland that mean some postgraduates will immediately have to pay back university fees have been criticised.
The government in the country has changed the system so that a graduate endowment charge will no longer have to be paid, but some students have still been asked to give this money back, reports the Times.
Scottish Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop has been informed by graduates that learners may have to pay back more money in the long run, news that could hit those with personal loans.
And National Union of Students President for Scotland James Alexander said that while there will be positives from the changes, postgraduates could suffer.
"But we are extremely disappointed that a previously positive benefit for postgraduate students appears to have been removed with the introduction of this legislation," he commented.
A spokesman for the government stated that the initial endowment offered was a "goodwill gesture". He added that students who left university in 2005, 2006 and 2007 were given a chance to pursue further opportunities.