How it all adds up

What do increased undergraduate numbers mean for university finances?

In a sign of what might be about to come for the rest of the UK, the Scottish government has issued strict guidelines to discourage students from socialising beyond their immediate domestic group. As cases of Covid-19 rise among the student population in Scotland, there is a whiff of panic about these measures—with some reports suggesting variously that students have been “banned” from pubs and parties and that it is now “illegal” for them to return home at the weekend.

Scottish students have the right to give seven days’ notice on their accommodation contracts. Under these circumstances, how many will choose to exercise this right and what effect will it have on retention?