UNIVERSITIES north of the Border would benefit from promoting themselves internationally as distinctively Scottish rather than as part of the UK.

A study commissioned by British Council Scotland found there was a poor awareness of what Scottish higher education had to offer, such as its strong showing in global league tables. The report also identified international concerns over the length of the Scottish four-year degree, when compared with the shorter study period at universities in England.

And while Scottish universities have achieved some success in the recruitment of overseas students, countries where enrolments remain relatively low include Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Turkey.

"There was a general lack of knowledge about Scottish higher education, the Scottish distinctive identity, the differences in higher education provision in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK and the sector's comparative advantages," the report said.

"While this might not be a major surprise given the relative size of the Scottish system compared with the rest of the UK, what must be of concern was the poor awareness, even among leading international education professionals."

The report said it was vital the distinctive qualities of Scottish higher education were communicated internationally because it helped to identify a "dynamic and modern Scotland" focused upon its students and "conducive to international partnerships".

Lloyd Anderson, director of the British Council Scotland, said: "There is a paradox that there are so many positive aspects to Scottish higher education, but people don't know this internationally.

"If there are world-class aspects to Scottish higher education then we need to get that recognised and to get collaboration. It is clear Scotland would benefit from promoting itself as distinctly Scottish."

Alastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland which represents university principals, said the sector was working hard to improve its international links. Representatives of 12 universities visited Indonesia last week to seek out beneficial tie-ups with the country's higher education sector.

Mr Sim said: "Scottish institutions are increasingly collaborating on international activity despite it being an obvious area of competition for them, and last month's joint trip to Indonesia was a very successful example of that in practice. The challenge is to set out the sector's strengths overall while also ensuring the diversity of our 19 very different universities shines through."

Michael Russell, the Education Secretary, added: "As the British Council points out, higher education in Scotland has considerable differences to the rest of the UK and their work, including the contents of this report, will help us raise awareness of the differences that exist."

The five principal distinctive assets of Scottish higher education highlighted in the report include strong collaboration between institutions, high graduate employment, innovative teaching and the creation of research pools with academics from different universities.

The report suggested a new communications strategy to promote Scottish higher education to global business and industry leaders, governments and potential students and their advisers.