Fifteen asylum seekers have taken up the chance to go to university following a controversial decision by the Scottish government to wave their tuition fees.

It was feared that young refugees, who are not allowed to work and who get an allowance of just £30 a week, were being deprived of the chance of further education despite many overcoming the language barrier to outperform Scots pupils in exams.

There are currently about 1,400 asylum families in Scotland, mostly in Glasgow. Young people of university age are classed as overseas students until the status of their families is decided, which can take years. Universities Scotland calculated that waiving fees for those who had been at school in Scotland for at least three years would benefit only a small number, but said that it was a policy worth pursuing.

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