Report reveals Scottish courses are cut but avoid UK cull

• 27% drop in the number of degree courses on offer in the UK in the last six years
• Scotland courses cut by 3%
• Nobel Prize winner warns of damage to universities

However, the number of courses on offer in Scotland has only fallen by 3% in the last six years. The number of students in Scotland has remained steady and an increase in applications has led to most courses being full. But student choice has still been reduced at time when Scots have to pay fees to take courses in the rest of the UK.

The report analysed data from the universities admission service, UCAS, to determine which areas of the UK have been hit hardest in course reduction, with large disparities emerging between regions and each of the home nations.

The worst reduction in the number of undergraduate courses (31%) occurred in England* where students are now expected to pay fees of up to £9,000 a year. The union has expressed concerns that charging students from the rest of the UK similar fees risks introducing a market in Scotland and the problems that appear to have damaged the range of courses on offer in England.

As well as looking at the overall number of courses available, the report analysed the provision of principal, or single subject, degree courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM subjects), arts and humanities, and social sciences.

Key findings from the report include:

• A 27% drop in the number of undergraduate courses available in the UK in 2012 compared to 2006
• Scotland (3%) has the lowest level of course cutting. The biggest decline is in England (31%). Wales has seen an 11% reduction and Northern Ireland a 24% cut
• Single subject STEM courses down 15% and arts and humanities down 14%

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: "Scotland is to be congratulated on not only maintaining free education but also choice in contrast to the rest of the UK. However, there are real dangers with introducing markets into education and we really cannot afford to limit choices for students.

"Scotland's global academic reputation is built on the broad range of subjects available and on the freedom of academics to push at the boundaries and create new areas of study. It is to Scotland's credit that this has been secured and that academic freedom has been protected and enhanced. We will work with the Scottish Government and the sector to ensure this continues to be the case."

The report also features commentary from four leading academics:

• Sir Richard Roberts, chief scientific officer at the New England Biolabs and Nobel Laureate for medicine or physiology
• James Ladyman, professor of philosophy and head of the department of philosophy at the University of Bristol
• Donald Braben, honorary professor in life sciences at University College London (UCL)
• Philip Schofield, professor of the history of legal and political thought and director of the Bentham Project at University College London (UCL)

* The reduction in undergraduate course has been sharpest in England (-31%) and Northern Ireland (-24%), it is much lower in Wales (-11%) and Scotland (-3%). While tuition fees for full-time undergraduates from the UK at HEIs in England will be up to £9,000 a year in 2012-13, Northern Ireland-domiciled students studying in Northern Ireland will only have to pay £3,465, Welsh-domiciled undergraduates studying throughout the UK will only have to pay £3,465, and Scottish-domiciled undergraduates studying in Scotland will not have to pay any fees.