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English critics call it getting off Scot Free. No university charges here.

The concept of charging is anathema to many, particularly in Scotland. But university leaders are concerned that because of that we'll end up with poor relation campuses, and few superstar professors. All that and obsolete lab facilities.

I may have exaggerated there but you get the picture. There's concern, with perhaps an element of shroud waving, that Scottish universities will dwindle into second rate institutions. Why? Because the due out around October 11 is expected to recommend for England tuition fees of up to £7,000 a year - and possibly nae cap at all.

Assuming the Treasury lets unis keep a large part of that money, the cash-strapped Scottish government would have problems trying to match that money for Scottish institutions.

As reminds us, university principals earn sums approaching £250,000 a year. Anyone seen any sign of them turning out their pockets? Ah well, in any case that couldn't in itself solve the potential funding gap.

the education secretary has been slow off the blocks in engaging in public debate over potentially hard-up unis. He's ruled out upfront tuition fees while students are still on campus struggling to pay for books and baked beans. Arguably not a dramatic statement as no political party or principal is calling for upfront fees. Even in England payment is usually after graduation when people are earning salaries.

In the last few days however Mr Russell has sent a tremor through ivory towers by floating the idea - not of a new income stream from graduates - but of efficiency savings in existing education budgets. He's resurrected the idea of three year degrees in Scotland. That would mean more . As it is the taxpayer pays for young Scots to do AHs in their sixth year of school, then they repeat the work in first year uni.

Around 6,000 students a year, mainly in science faculties, are already going straight into second year. If there were a wholesale shift it would mean cost savings with fewer university classes to run and less money spent providing bursaries and cheap student loans. And savings for individual students too, as they or their Mas and Pas, would have one less year of rent, food, utility bills and beer to pay. A further plus - a potential cut in the high drop-out rate from Advanced Higher classes which are expensive to run.

But a move towards three year degrees could mean a horrible erosion in the number of university staff jobs. And what chance many more pupils will take Advanced Highers? With the tight squeeze on public spending schools are finding it ever more difficult to justify staffing these classes which may have no more than six pupils.

Could it be the idea of three year degrees may sink beneath the waves again?