No more benefits for Europeans. As of the start of the 2021 academic year, because of Brexit, students from the European Union wanting to study at an English university will have to pay higher tuition fees, like all other foreign students. Education being the responsibility of each region, this measure only concerns England and does not apply to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Following the UK's exit from the EU in late January, EU nationals, other European Economic Area countries and Switzerland "will no longer be eligible" for the financial conditions granted to British students "For courses starting during the 2021-2022 academic year," said Secretary of State for Universities Michelle Donelan in a written statement to the House of Commons.
Foreign students starting university studies in 2020-2021 are not affected by this increase, nor are Irish nationals, she said.
A big shortfall
British universities are facing a significant shortfall since the start of the new coronavirus pandemic. They fear that the next academic year will be even worse if the lucrative international students sulked because of the crisis.
International students represent an important source of income for British universities. They often pay double - or even more in the most prestigious establishments - the 9,250 pounds (more than 10,200 euros) owed each year by the British, and also, until then, by EU students.
Regarding British participation in the European Erasmus student exchange program, the government has said it wants to continue to participate after Brexit, but added that negotiations are still underway with Brussels.
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In 2018-2019, one in five students was a foreigner in the United Kingdom, the second preferred university destination after the United States, according to their representative organization, Universities UK (UKK).