The Impact of Brexit on the Higher Education Sector in the UK

September 14, 2021

abcodo

On Jan. 31, 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) officially left the European Union (EU), an action that has come to be known as “Brexit” or British Exit. The “exit” was no surprise since as early as 2016, 51.89 percent of voters wanted the UK to leave the EU. (1) A transition period was in place until Jan. 1, 2021, during which all of the three agreements between the EU and the UK came into full force.

Key Takeaways:

Brexit, short for “British exit,” is a term used to refer to when the UK officially left the European Union.
The impact of Brexit on the UK was significant in different aspects.
EU students now paid tuition fees, the same as international students.
The number of international students from Asia increased after Brexit.
The UK HEIs and agents need to level up recruitment to attract EU students aside from Asians.

Impact of Brexit on the UK education sector

When the UK left the EU, many sectors were significantly affected. The separation meant individuals coming from EU countries could no longer enjoy free movement. European nationals residing in the UK must have complete documentation from the government to allow them to stay. (2) Thus, travel between the EU and the UK has become challenging as they are now subjected to additional checks and documentation at the border.

Aside from having a significant impact on the economy, security, and governance, Brexit also affected education in the UK. After the official Brexit, EU students no longer had the same tuition fees as UK nationals. (5) They are now considered international students, and thus are subject to the same tuition fees. This has placed a significant constraint on EU students who want to pursue higher education in the UK.

Aside from that, EU students have lost their access to student loans in the UK and experience work limitations after completing their programs, just like international students.

For UK students who dreamed of experiencing studying overseas, the Erasmus+ program was very promising. After Brexit, these students are no longer eligible for Erasmus membership. But since the UK government wants to become a more inclusive country, it came up with its own student exchange program, the Turing Scheme. (6)

Netherlands: A better alternative for EU students

Post-Brexit, EU students were left scrambling as tuition fees in the UK became too expensive for them. Based on a survey done by study.eu, 49 percent of students who participated consider the Netherlands as the best alternative to the UK as a study destination. (7)

The Netherlands is known to have a stronger euro, as well as world-class higher education institutions. This is also one of the reasons why EU nationals would rather study there. With this, UK universities and colleges have already experienced a rapid decrease in the number of enrollments.

What Asian students think about Brexit

While Brexit negatively impacted the EU and UK region, a rise in international enrollments from China and India has become significant.

This would mean more opportunities to study in the best universities in the UK. Most universities in the UK rely mainly on the tuition fees paid by international students. That’s why Asian students just might help with the crisis higher education institutions in the UK are having after Brexit. Meanwhile, to attract and let EU students stay, universities need to amp up their marketing and recruitment campaigns amid solid competition in Europe.

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