Scottish Tories are ditching support for graduate contributions in a U-turn on tuition fees.
MP Douglas Ross, the new leader of the party, said the previous position put to voters at two elections is now being reassessed.
The outlined the plan to young Tories at the party's conference, saying coronavirus has changed the debate.
"This group of young people have had their education disrupted like no other," he said.
"They're losing out on life-defining experiences and they're going to be entering the job market at the most difficult time.
"We cannot burden them any further. So now is the time for the Scottish Conservatives to rethink our policy on introducing tuition fees and a graduate contribution.
“Our manifesto will support free tuition for university students, while calling for college places to be viewed as equally valuable.”
The party supported the abolition of tuition fees in 1999 and 2003, before proposing a "root and branch review" of education funding in 2007 and backing the introduction of a means-tested graduate contribution in 2011 and 2016.
Matt Crilly, president of the National Union of Students in Scotland, said: "Today's announcement from the Scottish Conservatives is a victory for students and prospective students across Scotland with all the main parties committing their support to free tuition.
“Education is a right, not a privilege and must be freely accessible to all regardless of your class or income."
