EU students accepted at British universities are down

The data from the UK university application service UCAS for the 2021/22 academic year before the admissions deadline revealed a drop in applications from EU students that significantly affected the number of students that will start this autumn at the UK universities.

The official number of accepted EU applicants decreased from 22,430 to 9,820 in comparison to the same period last year.  This represents a 56% fall in the number of applicants.

A deep decline in interest in studying at British universities among students from the EU member countries was expected as this is the first year that EU students are no longer eligible for home fees status. They will not be able to get loans and grants from the UK Student Loans Company due to the Brexit deal and will be subject to international student fees for their studies. EU students will need to pay the fees for the tuition and therefore the students from less economically strong countries of the EU would not be able to afford to study in the UK.

Students are not only dealing with the tuition fees but also the cost of living and relocating to the UK represents a significant cost.

Ireland is an exception is Ireland as Irish students will still receive domestic fees through the Common Travel Area agreement with the UK government and the applications were up.

On the positive side, the undergraduate recruitment from UK home students has been very strong and internationally, 37,390 students (an increase of 9%) from outside the EU have been accepted, rising numbers of students from countries like Malaysia (an increase of 33%), USA (an increase of 33%) and Nigeria (an increase of 40%).