An expected hike in tuition fees at UK universities has caused students from the EU to start looking at universities elsewhere, in particular, the Netherlands and Germany.

EU students turn their eyes to Germany

According to a recent study, UK universities could lose up to 84 percent of their EU student intake due to Brexit. The main reason for this is an expected increase in university tuition fees, with the price of some courses (currently already at 9.000 pounds a year) rising by between 75 and 125 percent. EU students also face losing access to public student loans if they decide to study at a UK institution.

According to the survey of 2.505 people, which was undertaken by Study.eu, Germany came out as a top alternative destination, behind only the Netherlands, for EU students that were previously considering studying in the UK. 36 percent of respondents named Germany as their new preferred study destination.

In 2018 / 19, 374.000 international students were enrolled at a German university. Western Europeans made up 19 percent of international students in this academic year, the second-largest group of non-German students behind the Asia and Pacific region.

EU students lose “home” fee status

Since the Brexit referendum in 2016, European universities have been increasing the number of English-language courses available to students. Gerrit Blöss, CEO of Study.eu, explained that “most universities have been overhauling their marketing and recruitment campaigns for a while,” adding to an already perilous situation for UK universities trying to attract international students in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Blöss, “Various factors make Germany a particularly attractive destination for students: high-quality education and research; the fact that tuition is free at almost all public universities; high standards of living at moderate cost; and the promising career perspectives with, for non-EU students, the welcoming post-study work visa conditions.” Blöss also expects to see UK universities opening campuses in Europe, to offer English-language degrees, taught in Germany.