THE number of fee-paying students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland accepted by Scottish universities has risen sharply, new figures show.

According to the latest statistics, student numbers from the rest of the UK (rUK) rose by more than 10 per cent between 2013 and 2014.

The figures from Ucas show 5,870 rUK students have been accepted by Scottish universities so far, compared to 5,300 the previous year, with 4,760 from England after a rise of nearly 15 per cent.

The increase has no impact on the number of Scottish students recruited as they apply through an entirely separate process.

But the ability to attract rUK students is more important than ever for university funding because they pay fees of up to £9000 a year and places are uncapped.

Their importance is heightened because of the wider squeeze on public funding. Although universities have been protected from the drastic cuts experienced by colleges, they are no longer funded for rUK students.

Alastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland, which represents university principals, welcomed the increase, which follows a recruitment drive south of the border by many universities.

Institutions have put more focus on advertising and direct marketing this year and some have spent more time in direct communication with prospective students through the application process.

Scottish universities have made more places available to rUK students through the system of clearing - which matches vacancies with applicants.

Mr Sim said: "We are delighted to welcome a growth in the number of successful rUK applicants compared to last.

"This demonstrates that Scotland's offer of a world class higher education, the highest rates of student satisfaction and best rates of graduate employment in the UK has a strong cross-border appeal.

"It is important to state that the increase in rUK students studying in Scottish universities does not come at the expense of opportunities for Scottish-domiciled students."

Gordon Maloney, president of student body NUS Scotland, also welcomed the figures, but warned that institutions needed to ensure places were going to students from different social backgrounds.

"It is positive to see more entrants from the rest of the UK, but this increase doesn't necessarily mean that we're protecting, or improving, access for the poorest students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

"Fair access doesn't stop at the border, and we need to see minimum standards, protections and safeguards, particularly around bursaries, for these students.

"We've said before that we wouldn't want to see students from the rest of the UK being taken by Scottish universities simply because of the £9,000 price tag attached to them."

The increase is particularly welcome as figures from last year suggested most Scottish universities were struggling to recruit rUK students with more than half of Scottish universities attracting fewer such students.

Institutions that saw a decline included Abertay, Dundee, Edinburgh Napier, Glasgow, Queen Margaret, the Royal Conservatoire, Strathclyde and University of the Highlands and Islands.

Overall, numbers of rUK students coming to Scotland increased by five per cent from 2011/12 to 2012/13, but Edinburgh University was responsible for most of the rise.

Institutions north of the Border are set to make an annual income of at least £140 million by 2015/16 from rUK students.