If the UK were to leave the EU this could have major consequences for British higher education. The country will be less popular among international students.
A survey by Hobsons consultancy agency shows that 47% of international students would find the UK less attractive to study in if the UK were to leave the EU. However, 17% said a Brexit would make UK universities more attractive. The remainder said it would make no difference either way.
Students from other European countries in particular (82%) said a Brexit would make the UK less attractive. Logical, says Neth-ER, the representatives of Dutch higher education in Brussels. If a Brexit takes place, it is entirely possible that certain EU grant programmes, such as the Erasmus grants, could be stopped in the UK. And that would make studying in the UK more expensive for European students.
The UK could get around this by offering its own grant programmes, or – like Switzerland– becoming an associate country. This means that a country pays money to Europe to participate in certain areas, such as education.
The question is of course whether the EU will agree to this. It is quite likely that Europe would shelve such a request for a while, meaning that grant programmes and collaborations would be inaccessible in the period following the Brexit, said policy officer Olga Wessels from Neth-ER.
Increased tuition fees
It is also unclear whether British and EU students would be treated equally following a Brexit. Currently British students in the Netherlands pay the same tuition fees as Dutch students, and vice versa. If the UK decides to leave the EU, this may cease to apply and tuition fees could be higher for both groups.
In the last decades, the UK has consistently been the second favourite country to study in for students outside the EU, the favourite being the USA. A survey from 2014 showsthat the tuition fee revenues from these non-EU students made up one eighth of the income of British higher education. Students from within the EU are also a good source of revenue for the UK, bringing in 3.7 billion pounds a year.
However, in recent years the UK has begun to lose its market share. The increased tuition fees and strict immigration rules are putting off foreign students. It is no wonder that British universities are very concerned.
Earlier this year over 150 scientists, including Stephen Hawking, signed a manifesto about the disastrous consequences of a Brexit, stating for example, that they would no longer be able to apply for grants from the EU science budget.
Update 26 February 2020
Whatever other consequences Brexit may have, it didn’t keep international students from applying for a degree in the UK, says Fjollë Avdijaj in an email sent after the Brexit date 1 February 2020. According to the organisation Study in Britain, the number of international students in the UK for the term 2018/2019 has risen with 3.4% to 485,645.
Comments are closed.