New figures from the Scottish Funding Council show the continuing impact of Scotland’s colleges in helping people from all backgrounds progress to higher education. In 2023/24, 3,100 students entered university with Advanced Standing – meaning they received full credit for their prior learning and went straight into the second or third year of a degree course. While overall articulation numbers fell slightly due to fewer HNC/D college qualifiers, this figure marks a small increase from last year.
 
A record high 25.8% of students from Scotland’s most deprived areas (SIMD20) articulated to university with Advanced Standing – demonstrating the crucial role colleges play in widening access and improving life chances.
 
However, the report also shows that the proportion of widening-access (CoWA) students entering university via college routes fell to 32.5%, underlining the need for continued focus on supporting transitions from college to university.
 
A spokesperson said: “These results underline how vital Scotland’s colleges are in delivering opportunity and mobility. It’s encouraging to see more students from our most deprived communities gaining full recognition for their learning and progressing to university, but we can’t take progress for granted. Ensuring strong college-to-university pathways remains key to meeting Scotland’s widening access ambitions.”