The future of UK universities post Brexit
Following the leave result of the EU referendum in June 2016, a major concern has been the state of universities in a post-Brexit world, and what will happen to the international relationship between UK universities and continental institutions. What exactly will this mean for international students travelling for study and EU lecturers and staff working or researching in the UK?
The official site for UK universities has confirmed that all current university students from the EU studying at a UK university, as well as those who started courses from 2017-18, will see no changes or impacts to their loan eligibility or fee status for the duration of their course.
Similarly, new confirmation from the English, Welsh and Scottish governments show that EU students starting courses in 2018-19 in England, Scotland and Wales, will remain eligible for grants and loans for the duration of their course, including after the UK exits the EU.
All current university students from the EU studying at a UK university, as well as those who started courses from 2017-18, will see no changes or impacts to their loan eligibility or fee status
The England Student Loans Company (SLC) have also confirmed this in a statement from October 2016: “Student Finance England (SFE) will assess these (EU nationals) applications against existing eligibility criteria, and will provide loans and/or grants in the normal way.”
The statement also read: “EU nationals, or their family members, who are assessed as eligible to receive grants and/or loans by the SFE in the 2017/18 Academic Year will be eligible for this support and for home fee status for the duration of their study.” Fees will not rise for current EU students studying at UK universities, and those starting from 2018-19 will pay the same fees as home students for the duration of their course. This includes free tuition in Scotland.
Fees will not rise for current EU students studying at UK universities
Jo Johnson MP confirmed in a statement that current EU national PhD students, including those beginning 2018-19, will continue to be eligible for Research Council PhD studentships that help fund their studies for the duration of their course. However, it is not yet known whether, or how, the academic and student mobility of future EU students applying from the year 2019-20 will be impacted after Article 50 is in place. The terms of agreement such as the state of tuition fees are hinged on the UK’s exit negotiations. This sense of speculation in mass media is problematic, such that it can cause hesitation and apprehension in EU nationals considering study in the UK.
Without concrete assurance of the terms of agreement that will apply for future EU students, British universities risk seeing a depletion in students travelling to the UK for study.
The terms of agreement such as the state of tuition fees is hinged on the UK’s exit negotiations
However, this may not be the case as the Telegraph reported that Oxford University saw a 10% rise in the number of EU international applications just of December 2016. Perhaps the value of a British education could increase post-exit, but the question is whether the cost-benefit will be fair on EU nationals coming for travel and study.
On a more optimistic note, university students will still be able to participate in the study abroad schemes for the time being as the National Agency for Erasmus+ in the UK publicly supports continued full membership of the programme up until 2020. The European Commission confirmed the continuation of EU law in the UK until the UK is no longer a member.
The European Commission confirmed the continuation of EU law in the UK until the UK is no longer a member
Even this current advantage, however, leaves us with speculation over what the future looks like for UK university students who wish to partake in a study abroad scheme. Does this mean that schemes like Erasmus+ will be scrapped for the UK after 2020? Will there be other study abroad/exchange programmes set up in their place, allowing future students the same beneficial opportunities as us? Or is a deal even possible that would allow the UK to participate regardless of EU membership?
When thinking of the future of British universities, we also must think of the consequences for university staff that are EU nationals. Although there has been no immediate change, and there will not be until the UK officially exits the EU, the question, of whether the right to reside and work in the UK will change for EU nationals after 2019, remains crucial in the Brexit debates.
The question of whether the right to reside and work in the UK will change for EU nationals after 2019 remains crucial in the Brexit debates
Keeping EU national university staff should be a priority as it brings greater access to a range of research fields and different academic backgrounds and methods of study. In addition, the international atmosphere on university campuses is created by the welcome and inclusion of EU national (and international) staff and students.
Everything is dependent on the negotiation between the UK government and the EU negotiators, and nothing is certain in the current climate. However, existing proposals do pose in the favour of allowing EU nationals to work freely in the UK, if they had a settled status before 29 March 2017. Yet the question of what changes we might see in the opportunities, fees and subsidies available to future EU staff and students still remains open to speculation.
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