Scottish govt launches ‘Scotland Is Now’ campaign to welcome international students

17 Apr 2018

To encourage more international students to study in Scotland, the Scottish government has set up ‘Scotland Is Now’, a campaign supported by Visit Scotland, Scottish Development International and Universities Scotland.

The campaign’s website provides help and guidance for international students hoping to study in Scotland. It currently lists 13 of the country’s universities through a search function but soon intends to have all 19 Scottish higher education institutes listed.

It also provides other advice on useful topics for prospective international students as well as general information about what it is like to visit, live, work and study in Scotland.

Scotland is one of the best places to study in the world – we have more world-class universities than any other country by head of population 🏆 https://t.co/34RBjTj9bj #ScotlandIsNow pic.twitter.com/qFxObuiB16

— Universities Scotland (@uni_scot) April 11, 2018

The Scotland Is Now website describes the campaign as telling an “authentic story of Scotland as a bold and positive country, rich in history and heritage but forging forward in a way that is progressive, pioneering and inclusive”.

Education and international recruitment is integral to Scotland’s success – and, recognising this, the country hopes to welcome many more international students to its shores.

Vice chancellor of the University of Glasgow and chair of the UK’s prestigious Russell Group Anton Muscatelli told The PIE News Scottish higher education and research is hugely relevant and important in the global marketplace.

“It is about the values which underpin everything we do in Scotland – values of openness, diversity, openness to new ideas and commitment to using the skills and expertise of our universities for the good of society as a whole.

https://twitter.com/Nathalie_Sofi/status/984017334795948034

“Studying in Scotland gives students from around the world the chance to work at the forefront of their fields,” Muscatelli said.

He added 86 percent of Scottish research is rated to have an ‘outstanding’ or ‘very considerable’ impact.

“Researchers at our universities [are] leading the world in new and exciting areas like precision medicine and quantum technology and taking forward research into some of the great issues of our time, from malaria and the Zika virus to renewable energy and policies to support refugees,” Muscatelli said.

But it isn’t just about what happens inside the classroom, he said. Muscatelli also explained how important international students are to Scotland’s education sector, playing “a huge role in our university communities [and] contributing massively to our success”.

https://twitter.com/Scotland/status/984752954904326145

“We in Scotland are determined to do everything we can to ensure we can benefit from the best and brightest minds from around the world in the years to come,” he said.

The campaign is not intended to take over international recruitment, just raise Scotland’s reputation as a great place to study.

While individual universities will still be responsible for their own international student recruitment, the deputy director of the organisation which represents all universities in the country – Universities Scotland – told The PIE News they are “delighted” to be a part of the project.

“We believe it’s the start of a very exciting campaign that at its very heart recognises Scotland’s world-class higher education sector,” David Lott said.

The campaign was a £6 million (US$8.6 million) investment from the Scottish government.