MORE than 20,000 students are to get the chance to vote on Scottish independence in a mock referendum.

Students at Glasgow University will hold a campus-wide poll on February 21, the first large-scale vote of its kind.

Eight student societies are supporting the referendum, including the SNP, Labour, Conservative and Independent societies. Ballot boxes will be set up at Glasgow University Union and the Queen Margaret Union (QMU).

Students will be asked the Scottish Government's proposed question: "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?"

All undergraduate and post-graduate students enrolled at the university will have the right to vote, including those from the rest of the UK and overseas. It is not known how many will have a vote in the real referendum in the autumn of 2014.

The referendum will be closely followed by both sides in the independence debate as providing an indication of young people's views.

Michael Gray, president of the Dialectic Society, said: "It's a great idea to encourage debate on campus. The result of the real referendum will impact students in Scotland for the rest of their lives, so holding our own vote is one way of finding out what young people think. Glasgow can lead the way and hopefully other students across the country will follow suit."

Five debates and hustings will be held on campus in the run-up to the poll, featuring local and national politicians, commentators and academics.

These will focus on democracy; requirements for a "just" Scotland; gender; foreign policy; and a pre-poll student debate.

Colum Fraser, president of QMU, said: "Through the process leading to a referendum, the students of the University of Glasgow will have the opportunity to discuss this most important matter affecting the future of their nation, by birth or as many students from beyond our borders who pass through Glasgow choose, adopted.

"It gives me great pride that the unions are to be used as centres of learning and debate for the process, and I look forward with excitement to a series of events that will seek to include the facts, opinions and perspectives of all facets of the issue."

Imogen Dewar, debates convener at Glasgow University Union, said: "The popularity of GUU's Freshers' Week Debate on Scottish Independence demonstrates how engaged students are in the impending national referendum.

"We are excited to help host this event and to hear the opinions of the students of the University of Glasgow."