Student boom for Ayr

Sep 25 2009 by Stuart Wilson

MORE students than ever are coming to study in Ayr.

College and university applications soared ahead of the new term, which kicked off this week.

And students are set to make the most of the town over the coming year.

Ayr College, the University of West of Scotland and the Scottish Agricultural College all have bases in South Ayrshire.

And all are all reporting boom times.

With interest coming from across the country and beyond, Ayr is quickly establishing itself as a leading light for education.

The SAC, based at Auchincruive, says its intake is two years ahead of schedule.

David McKenzie, vice principal for learning, revealed: “Our aim was to have 350 students by the time we move to our new campus with the UWS in 2011.

“But with the way things are going, we’ll be hitting the 380 this year.

“We’ve seen quite an increase in applications from people who want to come from all over Scotland and abroad to study in Ayr.”

It’s a similar story at the UWS, which has just begun construction of its new £70 million campus at Craigie.

The current campus has 3500 students, with numbers rising all the time.

A spokesman confirmed: “The university is delighted to see the number of students studying at its Ayr Campus continuing to rise.

“Ayr Campus, which offers a wide range of course options and has some of the Scottish Higher Education sector’s finest media, broadcasting and recording facilities, continues to be an extremely popular study destination.”

Meanwhile, Ayr College is continuing its success story with more than 6000 students set to study both full time and part time courses this year.

College principal Diane Rawlinson revealed: “We are delighted with the rise in students applying to Ayr College this year.

“There has been a twenty percent increase in applications to the college and due to additional funding we have created 20 extra student places.

“Scotland’s colleges are playing a key role in minimising the impact of the current recession. At Ayr College we are working with students to develop the skills they will need to take advantage of future employment opportunities and with employers to make sure our students are able to fill their skills gaps.”‘

The student boom has delighted Ayr MSP John Scott, who sees it as great news for the town.

He said: “We have more students than ever studying at our local colleges and university campus, and it clearly shows that Ayr has become firmly established as one of Scotland’s principal centres for further education.

“With a wide variety of attractions and a vibrant social life it’s not hard to see why so many people choose to study in Ayr, and I’m looking forward to seeing the range of courses expand, the quality of facilities further improve and the number of students studying here increase over the years to come."