Opposition parties in Scotland - Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens - have backed the SNP's position to keep university education free for Scottish residents.

But the Scottish Conservatives have questioned the legality of the fees plan, and say it could stir up resentment in the rest of the UK against Scotland.

Elsewhere, the Scottish government is seeking an end to rules where it has to pay the fees of students living in non-UK EU countries, which it says is costing the taxpayer £75m a year.