S – is for Students
What does the EU mean for students?
The EU currently provides the opportunity for UK students to study in Europe, and allows students in Europe to study in the UK – with access to financial support.
Studying abroad within the EU not only provides UK students with an education from a world-class university at a capped rate, but also gives students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discover new countries and learn how to live in diverse and exciting cultures.
As gov.uk states: “Under current student finance rules, EU students are eligible to receive undergraduate tuition fee loans and Master’s loans if they have resided in the European Economic Area for at least 3 years prior to study. EU nationals who have resided in the UK for over 5 years are also able to apply for undergraduate maintenance support. Similarly, under EU law, EU students are also eligible for home fee status, which means they are charged the same tuition fees as UK students. Other non-EU, international students do not have their tuition fees capped in this way.”
There’s also the long-established and highly popular Erasmus programme (Erasmus+), an EU programme that provides funding for students who want to study in Europe as part of their degree course. Over the course of 25 years, over 200,000 British students have benefited from the programme.
What does Brexit mean for students?
However, with the EU Withdrawal Bill aiming for an ‘Exit day’ in March 2019, the future of studying in the EU has been left unclear.
According to The Independent, European universities are considering hiking their tuition fees to UK students once Britain has left the EU.
“A top European university is warning UK students to apply as soon as they can if they want to continue enjoying low tuition fees before Britain officially leaves the European Union.”
This is because fees may rise from just £1,600 a year to £8,360 a year after Brexit.
Further, Erasmus+ is unsure of what will happen after Brexit: “We cannot speculate on any possible future scenarios following the UK’s exit from the EU”
Students wanting to study abroad in the next few years will find it increasingly difficult and restrictive with regards to planning.
And according to Top Universities, “It’s likely that in future, UK students will face higher fees in many European countries, as they will no longer be eligible for domestic rates. They may also need to apply for student visas, and in some cases, may have reduced rights to work during and after their studies.”
We can only imagine that EU students wishing to study in the UK will face similar restrictions.
The future of studying needs to be clear. Students need to have the opportunity to study throughout the EU. Join to help us stop Brexit!
