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The number of students from the European Union enrolling in British universities has dropped sharply since Brexit, new figures show. There are fewer students from Italy, Germany, and France coming to study in the UK.
Before Brexit, EU students paid the same lower fees as UK students and could get student loans. Now, their fees have jumped to between £11,400 and £38,000, and they can no longer access UK student loans.
According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the number of first-year EU students fell from 66,680 in 2020 to 31,000 in 2021. The biggest drop was in undergraduate students, with numbers falling from 37,530 to 13,155.
Universities are worried because fewer EU undergraduates mean less diversity in classrooms and financial challenges. New international students often come for shorter one-year programs, which don’t provide the same long-term income for universities.
HESA data also shows that the total number of EU students in the UK dropped from 152,000 in 2020-21 to 120,000. Postgraduate student numbers fell from 24,000 to 14,000, and research students dropped from 4,650 to 2,260.
The biggest declines are from Italy, Germany, and France. Ireland has become the top source of EU students, with nearly 10,000 enrolled in 2021-22. Meanwhile, the number of Chinese students has increased from 107,000 to 151,000.
Universities UK is concerned that the rise in non-EU students is not enough to make up for the loss of EU students. This drop affects both university finances and the diversity of students.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS) expects the number of EU students to keep falling. Applications for undergraduate courses from EU students dropped from 53,000 in 2016 to 24,000 for 2022-23, with only about 11,300 expected to start in the UK, many from Ireland.
New visa rules also mean EU students must show they have enough money to support themselves, making it harder to study in the UK.
The Department for Education says the drop in EU students was expected and remains committed to attracting international students to help meet its educational and economic goals.
[With information from The Guardian]
