The SQA hailed the results a success and said the Higher results amounted to the second highest number of passes on record.
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Scottish students passed a total of 152,701 Highers in 2016, with an attainment rate of 77.2 per cent – down on the 156,000 passes in 2015 but still the second highest number on record.
It is the first year that all school and colleges in Scotland have offered the new Higher curriculum to candidates, following the phased introduction of the new Advanced Higher last year.
As of 9 August, Scottish universities had admitted 34,620 students, up 6 per cent year-on-year, with the proportion of Scottish students being admitted to these institutions rising by 4.6 per cent.
As of midnight on Tuesday, 28,300 Scottish applicants had been accepted to higher education so far, up 5% compared to results day in 2015.
Mary Curnock Cook, the chief executive of Ucas, described the figures as “an encouraging snapshot of Scottish higher education, particularly as a large majority of the country’s applicants are placed by this stage”. This is due to hard work on behalf of pupils and staff and the vital support of parents and guardians.
“The new qualifications are performing well and the results clearly are enabling young people to transition between the levels and develop a wider range of skills”.
On a visit to the Skills Development Scotland Contact centre in Glasgow, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education John Swinney met with qualified careers advisers who will handle calls from students and their parents.
It is only the second time more than 150,000 Higher passes have been attained by Scottish pupils in a year.
Vonnie Sandlan, President for NUS Scotland said: “It’s fantastic to see yet another year of record exam passes and, coming with that, the highest level of entry to university in Scotland ever recorded”.
“The results also demonstrate the changing nature of Scotland’s education system, as it responds to the challenge set by the Developing the Young Workforce programme”, he said.
Mr Swinney added: “This approach seeks to prepare our young people better to enter the world of work by offering them much more choice and flexibility in their education path than traditional qualifications alone”.
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