These figures are genuinely worrying for Scotland and many of it's world-renowned Universities, but these figures disprove the ridiculous claim that a financial contribution to higher education forces a greater drop-out rate. Other parts of the UK have fees and their continuation rate is greater.
No party in Scotland wants upfront tuition fees and we strongly believe that we need more bursary support for students from the poorest backgrounds, to give them greater support whilst they are studying.
We also believe that the higher education sector will only survive and thrive if we set in place a graduate contribution, repayable once the graduate attains a certain salary and at an affordable rate.
At the launch of the Manifesto Launch, Annabel Goldie said, "Scottish universities have a fine tradition, a proud reputation but that can only continue if there are additional sources of funding.
"This issue has already set us apart from other parties in the campaign. I shall not be cowed and I shall not be silenced because the public deserves to hear the truth."
She added: "The status quo is not tenable and the introduction of upfront tuition fees is unacceptable. Our proposed graduate contribution will be based on a university cost of £3,600 and we set a cap, at just £4,000."
The drop-out rate at universities across the UK in 2009/10 is as follows:
UK: 7.9%
England: 7.8%
Wales: 7.4%
Scotland: 9.3%
N. Ireland: 9.0%
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