Mary Senior, of UCU Scotland, said: “While Scotland is achieving reasonable levels of the population with degrees, it lags behind the rates achieved in England.

"Investment must be increased if Scotland is to reach the levels of population with degrees that will allow the knowledge economy to rise out of the ashes of the recession.”

The report ranks Glasgow North 17th overall out of UK's 628 constituencies which were studied, while Edinburgh North and Leith was 13th and East Dunbartonshire was placed 18th.

But, in the Glasgow East constituency more than a quarter of people (29%) have no qualifications, while just 16% have a degree. Glasgow East was ranked 584th for the percentage of people with a degree, and a low 623rd for the percentage of residents with qualifications.

In Glasgow North East, where a by-election will be held, the rates were only marginally better, with 25% of people having no qualifications, and only 23% having a degree. The report found many of the constituencies with the lowest levels of educational achievement were traditional Labour seats in the larger towns and cities.

But areas in the Highlands and rural north east also featured among those with the lowest percentage of people who have a degree or better. One was Banff and Buchan, the Westminster constituency of Alex Salmond, the First Minister.

David Kerr (left) and Eileen Baxendale (right),  the respective  SNP and Liberal Democrat candidates in the Glasgow North East by-election, said improving education would be among top priorities if elected.

A Scottish Executive spokesman said ministers had made it clear that access to university should be based on the “ability to learn and not the ability to pay,” by abolishing the graduate endowment.