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5 September 2011
Last updated at 13:39 ET
Edinburgh University has set tuition fees for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland at £9,000 a year.
The National Union of Students Scotland said £36,000 for a four-year degree was "both staggering and ridiculous".
Earlier Heriot-Watt University said it would also charge £9,000 a year to students from the UK who did not live in Scotland.
However, it said no student would face total fees of more than £27,000, even if they studied on a four-year course.
Last month the University of Aberdeen set its rate at £9,000 a year - with a fourth year free of charge.
The Scottish government was elected in May on a pledge that it would not introduce fees or graduate contributions from students who live in Scotland.
However, Education Secretary Mike Russell said in June that Scottish universities would be able to increase fees for UK residents who did not live in Scotland.
The move was prompted by the UK government's decision to raise the cap on fees in the rest of the UK to £9,000.
Heriot-Watt said it wanted to cap fees for English, Welsh and Northern Ireland students at £27,000, even if they study for more than three years.
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
The university said it would encourage as many students as possible to skip their first year of study if their A-level results enabled them to do so, while waiving the first year's fee for students who opted to take a four-year course.
Reputational damage Prof Steve Chapman, principal of Heriot-Watt, said: "We have a long tradition of welcoming A-Level students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales, many of whom enter their chosen programme at Level two, thus allowing them to complete their Honours degree in three years.
"This is a position we want to maintain and develop further."
The National Union of Students in Scotland said Heriot-Watt's decision was "terrible".
After the Edinburgh decision, Graeme Kirkpatrick, depute president of NUS Scotland, said: "The average cost to study at Oxford and Cambridge is around £25,000 in fees, which while still eye-wateringly large, pales in comparison with this.
"And that's before you add additional debt for the extra year of living costs for the four-year degree in Scotland.
"This is nothing less than cashing in on students from the rest of the UK, and giving the signal that Edinburgh University is more interested in the money you can bring, as opposed to your academic ability.
"The reputational damage this could do, not only to Edinburgh but to the whole of Scottish higher education, should not be underestimated."
The University of Edinburgh said it would offer the most generous bursary package within the UK for those on the lowest household incomes.
Prof Mary Bownes, vice principal for external engagement, said: "More than 50% of additional tuition fee income will go towards bursaries with the remainder going towards enhancing the student experience.
"There will also be a major new internally-funded scheme for access and accommodation bursaries for Scottish domiciled students."
Professor Bownes added: "The increase in the fee is necessary as we will no longer receive government funding for RUK (rest of United Kingdom)-domiciled students.
"These students will be studying at one of the world's top teaching and research institutions, regularly ranked amongst the leading universities in the world."
Last month, Prof Iain Diamond, principal of the University of Aberdeen, said that maintaining fees at the current level - about £1,800 a year for most degrees - was no longer possible.
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The National Union of Students Scotland said £36,000 for a four-year degree was "both staggering and ridiculous".
Earlier Heriot-Watt University said it would also charge £9,000 a year to students from the UK who did not live in Scotland.
However, it said no student would face total fees of more than £27,000, even if they studied on a four-year course.
Last month the University of Aberdeen set its rate at £9,000 a year - with a fourth year free of charge.
The Scottish government was elected in May on a pledge that it would not introduce fees or graduate contributions from students who live in Scotland.
However, Education Secretary Mike Russell said in June that Scottish universities would be able to increase fees for UK residents who did not live in Scotland.
The move was prompted by the UK government's decision to raise the cap on fees in the rest of the UK to £9,000.
Heriot-Watt said it wanted to cap fees for English, Welsh and Northern Ireland students at £27,000, even if they study for more than three years.
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
We have a long tradition of welcoming A-Level students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales”
End Quote
Prof Steve Chapman
Heriot-Watt University
The university said it would encourage as many students as possible to skip their first year of study if their A-level results enabled them to do so, while waiving the first year's fee for students who opted to take a four-year course.
Reputational damage Prof Steve Chapman, principal of Heriot-Watt, said: "We have a long tradition of welcoming A-Level students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales, many of whom enter their chosen programme at Level two, thus allowing them to complete their Honours degree in three years.
"This is a position we want to maintain and develop further."
The National Union of Students in Scotland said Heriot-Watt's decision was "terrible".
After the Edinburgh decision, Graeme Kirkpatrick, depute president of NUS Scotland, said: "The average cost to study at Oxford and Cambridge is around £25,000 in fees, which while still eye-wateringly large, pales in comparison with this.
"And that's before you add additional debt for the extra year of living costs for the four-year degree in Scotland.
"This is nothing less than cashing in on students from the rest of the UK, and giving the signal that Edinburgh University is more interested in the money you can bring, as opposed to your academic ability.
"The reputational damage this could do, not only to Edinburgh but to the whole of Scottish higher education, should not be underestimated."
The University of Edinburgh said it would offer the most generous bursary package within the UK for those on the lowest household incomes.
Prof Mary Bownes, vice principal for external engagement, said: "More than 50% of additional tuition fee income will go towards bursaries with the remainder going towards enhancing the student experience.
"There will also be a major new internally-funded scheme for access and accommodation bursaries for Scottish domiciled students."
Professor Bownes added: "The increase in the fee is necessary as we will no longer receive government funding for RUK (rest of United Kingdom)-domiciled students.
"These students will be studying at one of the world's top teaching and research institutions, regularly ranked amongst the leading universities in the world."
Last month, Prof Iain Diamond, principal of the University of Aberdeen, said that maintaining fees at the current level - about £1,800 a year for most degrees - was no longer possible.
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