BREXIT will have a significant impact on Scotland’s higher education sector and will result in a fall-off in EU student numbers, MPs have been told.
The Commons Scottish Affairs Committee, looking into immigration, also heard that there was a "strong case" for a longer post-Brexit transition period to mitigate against the potential loss of EU students and staff at Scottish universities.
Professor Andrea Nolan, Convener of Universities Scotland, said Brexit would have a “significant impact on the higher education sector, on staff and the student profile in Scotland.”
She told MPs Scotland had around 50,000 foreign students, 31,000 international and 21,000 from the EU and that approximately 11 per cent of staff, 17 per cent of academics and 25 per cent of research staff were EU nationals.
Prof Nolan explained how EU students were currently classified as “home students” ie the Scottish Government paid their fees. But on Brexit Day, this was expected to change and, she warned, Scotland would “lose out pretty big time”.
The academic noted how Edinburgh Napier University, where she is the principal, would itself introduce fees.
"The numbers of EU students would drop, and would drop quite significantly in Scotland, and probably it would have a variable impact on different universities," she explained.
Prof Nolan suggested there needed to be a new immigration system, which showed Scotland as an open nation, wanting to attract students to study and stay here.
"It would be serious if we lost them suddenly, so there is an argument there for considering how for Scotland in the current situation, beyond any two-year transition period, we might have to deal with the status of students…
"Is there a really strong case for a longer transition around that because some of our discipline areas will be seriously affected."
A longer implementation period was also needed to address potential staffing challenges, Prof Nolan continued.
"We need a long transition period to make sure we don't lose valuable skills...which are in some cases quite specific to Scotland," she added.
Her comments came in the wake of Nicola Sturgeon calling for a new national debate on immigration, warning of long-term harm to public services and the economy if Brexit cuts the flow of EU migrants to Scotland.
The First Minister said she wanted to "change the narrative" on migration, and persuade people it was vital to the national interest given Scotland's worrying demographic trends.
But her call for immigration to be devolved has been rebuffed by the UK Government and last week a survey by the National Centre for Social Research said two-thirds of Scots wanted Scotland and the UK to have the same immigration regime after EU withdrawal.
It also suggested a majority of Scots wanted to leave the European single market and restrict immigration for EU citizens after Brexit.
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