The long term future remains uncertain for EU students studying at UK universities and for home students who want to study in Europe. However, the short term future is clear in that the status of both undergraduates and postgraduates will remain unchanged for the next few years after Brexit.
The Government is reassuring EU nationals starting UK courses in both Autumn 2018 & 2019 that they will be paying the same fees as home students until their degrees have been completed, and will also have the same employment rights and access to loan rates, grants and other support. They will still need their own medical insurance though.
Students from the EU who are looking to start courses a few months after the UK officially leaves the UK can be safe in the knowledge that their status won’t change at any point during their course. If their course starts in September 2020 they will still be eligible to apply for Student Finance and being funded by the end of their study.
English tuition fees have been frozen at a maximum of £9,250 for the 2019-20 Academic year, which is the most expensive rate in Europe. The Government has agreed with the EU that UK students who start courses at European universities before the Brexit transition period ends in December 2020 can study on the same terms as students from that country to pay the same fees.
There has yet to be an announcement on what the future holds for students after these dates, but we’ll keep you informed as soon as any information becomes available. There are fears that EU nationals starting courses at UK universities in the 2020s will be given the same status as overseas students, but that is speculation at this stage. The Government’s stance so far has been to retain the status quo, so it will be interesting to see whether this continues after the Brexit transition period is over.