The UK currently registers 134,835 students from other EU countries and despite the high number, all universities are finding themselves unable to give exact answers to EU students who are enquiring about the 2019–20 entry.
With more than 80% of students registering an interest in studying abroad more than 12 months before the actual enrolment, potential students are already interested in the prospectuses that are printed for the 2019–20 cycle.
The Scottish government has already confirmed earlier this year that the fee status of non-UK EU citizens, who will come and study in Scotland in 2019/2020, will remain unchanged.
“researchers in the UK will continue to be able to participate in the EU’s important research framework until 2020”
In the latest priorities statement on Brexit, Universities UK has called for urgent clarity on a number of areas affecting universities. One of which is the status of EU students coming to the UK after 2019, as well as the UK’s participation in EU research and innovation programmes and the Erasmus+ scheme.
Dame Janet Beer, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, said that “the phase one Brexit and transition agreements provide much-needed certainty for the nearly 50,000 EU nationals working across UK universities, who are now clearer on what their post-Brexit rights will look like.”
She continues to say that “researchers in the UK will continue to be able to participate in the EU’s important research framework until 2020. And students will be able to continue in the Erasmus+ exchange programme, also until 2020.”
“Universities UK will continue to work with UK governments and officials in Brussels to secure an effective post-exit settlement for universities”
Universities UK said that the UK should agree access to the Erasmus+ programme once it has been completely legislated in 2020. Their main reasoning for this being that the exchange programme has proven to be a significant part of the students’ university experience, with as many as 55% of all UK students going abroad through the scheme.
It has been noted that governments all across the UK need to ensure that EU students starting a course in 2019–20 will continue to benefit from home fee status, as well as remain eligible for loans and grants on the current terms.
“Universities UK will continue to work with UK governments and officials in Brussels to secure an effective post-exit settlement for universities”, pointed out Dame Janet Beer.
Teodor Ispas
Featured image courtesy of ‘University of the Fraser Valley’ via Flickr. License here.
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