LONDON, Dec 6, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The end of the Brexit transition period on
December 31 will introduce new rules for European Union students who want to
study in Britain during the 2020-21 academic year.
– What is the current situation? –
The situation for an estimated 150,000 EU students has been unchanged
during the transition period to December 31, as the UK and EU try to agree
terms of their new relationship.
Currently, EU students have “home fee status”, which means they pay the
same level of tuition fees as UK counterparts, depending where the university
is.
Education policy is set by devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland, with the UK government responsible for England. As a
result, tuition fees vary.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, students with home fee status can
be charged up to o9,250 ($12,400, 10,250 euros) per year for an undergraduate
degree.
Scottish or EU undergraduates studying in Scotland are not charged.
EU students are eligible to apply for a student loan to cover tuition
fees.
Ireland has separate arrangement with the UK under a reciprocal agreement.
– What happens on January 1? –
All EU citizens have to apply for residency status under the Settlement
Scheme, which grants the right to live and study in UK when new immigration
rules kick in.
Students who start a degree course at some point in the 2020/21 academic
year and arrive in the UK by December 31 will still have home fee status.
New students arriving after this date will need a student visa that costs
about o350 if they are studying in the UK for more than six months.
They will also have to pay a surcharge of about o500 per year to use the
state-run National Health Service (NHS).
– What happens in the next academic year?
Across the UK, EU students starting courses after August 1, 2021 look set
to pay higher international tuition fees and not be allowed to get UK student
loans.
– How much will they have to pay? –
According to the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine, undergraduate
tuition fees for an international student in 2020 were between o10,000 and
o26,000 a year.
A longer undergraduate medical degree can cost foreign students nearly
o59,000.
Undergraduate degrees in the UK typically require three years of study.
Average student debt was o27,000 this year, according to the THE, but that
does not include repayment of maintenance loans to cover living costs.
Together, this can total between o35,000 and o40,000.
– What is not known or agreed yet? –
London and Brussels have yet to strike a deal on their future
relationship.
It remains unclear if Britain will continue to participate in EU academic
programmes such as Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe beyond the end of this
academic year.
The UK government has set out guidelines for EU students to apply for
student visas.
But there is uncertainty about whether students who have already gained
settled or pre-settled status in the UK will be able to pay home status
tuition fees for courses starting in 2021-22.
Because of the coronavirus outbreak, which has forced a suspension of
face-to-face tuition and travel restrictions, many overseas students are
studying remotely outside the UK.
If they do not visit the UK this year, it is not clear if they can still
qualify for pre-settled status.