THE number of Chinese students at Scottish universities is soaring, according to new figures.
Statistics released by the university admissions service Ucas yesterday showed a 73.2 per cent leap in the number of Chinese students in the past year.
In 2007, there were 314 students from China at Scottish institutions compared with 544 thi
s year. In total, there was a 29.7 per cent increase in the number of students from outwith the European Union from 2,521 last year to 3,270 this year.
Applicants from within the EU also rose substantially, by 11.3 per cent, from 3,298 to 3,672.
Last night, academics attributed the rise to Scotland's reputation for higher education and the booming Chinese economy.
However, they warned that more public funding was still needed, because universities risked becoming dependent on the high fees charged to non-EU students.
A spokesman for Universities Scotland, which represents principals, said: "In the last seven years there has been an 85 per cent growth in non-EU students studying in Scotland.
"Chinese students are the number one biggest group and the rate of growth of Chinese students is very noticeable."
He said that the influx was down to the new wealth of the nation, allowing them to look overseas to study, and to Scotland.
He added: "It is great for the Scottish economy, for Scottish universities and for students to have cosmopolitan campuses.
"The main risk is if we end up having to use overseas student fees to fill the funding gap."
University principals were disappointed after a poor funding deal for the sector from the Scottish Government last year.
They had claimed that £168 million was necessary over three years to keep up with universities south of the Border, which generate extra income through tuition fees for home students.
Sir Brian Lang, the principal of St Andrews, said that a decade ago, the university had only a handful of students from China, but now had as many as 400.
He added: "Next to the Americans, the Chinese are our biggest single ethnic group from overseas. An increasing number of people are realising you can get a very high quality of education in Scotland at competitive prices."
Sir Brian described Scottish higher education as being a global brand, with St Andrews just one of the sought-after locations where there are now 75 nationalities of student.
Andrew Keenan, the secretary of the Coalition of Higher Students in Scotland, said that more students from China would be welcome.
He added: "Five hundred out of the 250,000 students in Scotland is not actually very many."
