Even though I'm swedish I did go to Scotish uni (Strathclyde!) for a while. It was probably paid for by magical EU funds though. I do remember registering and my peers talking about student loans but I thought they were like my student loans (which were for rent, food and books) and thought almost all tuitions were paid by govt. grants, not loans. I know at least a part of my friends had grants, not loans, paying their studies at least.

What is the political situation now in the UK wrt. free higher education? It seems like one of the biggest social justice/social mobility issues a society can have. Is that not a top issue for Labour?

I also went to Strathclyde :)

In Scotland at least, student loans are only used for living expenses, similar to your experience. Tuition fees are paid by the Scottish Government, as education is a devolved power [1].

In England, tuition fees are paid by the student, usually through a student loan, and are capped at £9k/year.

[Warning: political] I couldn't answer on Labour's priorities. They're becoming increasingly irrelevant north of the border, and increasingly impotent south of the border.

1. http://www.parliament.scot/visitandlearn/12506.aspx

How could I forget! Thanks for pointing this out.

Personally I'm surprised that there isn't a lot more anger from English taxpayers about this. It would be very interesting to see whether an independent Scotland could continue this policy.

I hope they are angry; at their own leaders for failing to provide the same, and not based in some misguided theory on Scottish subsidies, which is a far more complex issue than many tabloids would have their readers believe.

Stats here paint are more nuanced picture: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/are-the-s...