The United Kingdom has been one of the major and most popular places around Europe that attracts people from all over the globe to study at its universities. Undoubtedly, UK universities have world-class reputation, with advanced teaching approaches and infrastructures as well as collaborations with the industry, leading to the occupational rehabilitation of graduates relatively quickly. However, at what cost?
So far, students are grouped into two categories on the basis of their nationality into (i) Home/EU students; namely students originating from the UK and/or Europe and (ii) Overseas students; coming from all other countries and continents. This classification is reflected to the amount of tuition fees of each corresponding group. Specifically, for a Bachelor’s (undergraduate) degree in the UK, Home/EU students pay £9,250/year, while tuition fees for Overseas students range from ~£10,000/year up to £38,000/year, depending on the university and course type.
As far as Home/EU students are concerned, the Student Loan Company (SLC) is a governmental, non-profit company that administers loans (students loans) and grants to UK and EU nationals according to specific criteria in order to support their studies. For EU nationals, the SLC covers tuition fees for the undergraduate studies (totally £27,750 for the duration of three years), while it also provides loans for Master’s degrees. These endeavours have allowed numerous students to study in the UK and, therefore, decreased substantially the cost of life.
Nevertheless, the Brexit deal is rapidly changing the circumstances, affecting applicants willing to study in England the coming years. In June 2020, the Minister of State for Universities, Michelle Donelan, announced that EU (including Swiss and European Economic Area-EEA nationals) students will no longer be eligible for Home fee status or financial support from the SLC for courses starting in 2021/22 academic year or later. Additionally, visa requirements go into effect from January 1st 2021, which add an additional bureaucratic barrier to the whole process (https://www.gov.uk/student-visa). Exemptions apply only to people benefiting from the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement.
Consequently, it seems that the outcome of Brexit is slowly converting UK into an unwelcoming place that repels potential students and, thus, money. The current situation may eventually push interested students into more affordable markets, such as the Netherlands, Bulgaria or Germany etc., which have considerably lower or no fees whatsoever and offer courses in English. The following months and academic years seem critical and will determine whether UK remains on top of the list among students’ preferences. Will UK universities attract EU nationals through funding opportunities? Will other countries ‘overthrow’ UK’s monopoly? How will the pandemic and its handling by Boris Johnson affect university applications?
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Brexit_short_one_star.png
