Interestingly, Ucas data shows that higher education providers in England have 20,430 EU learners from outside the UK. This is a 14% increase from the same point last year. This shows a significant acceleration, as the 2014-15 English universities EU recruitment was 8% higher than the year before that.
As Nick Hillman, the director of Higher Education Policy Institute told Times Higher Education that:
“There are push factors, in that people want to study in a good university system, and pull factors, which are partly financial, because universities can fill their places and these are full £9,000-paying students. They also stand to get good students who can help the diversity of the classroom.”
However, while the increase in diversity on campus is being applauded, many are worried about the impact these changes will have on the student finance system. It can become difficult to get repayments on tuition fee loans if the learners leave the UK when they finish their learning.
Read more about these issues and get the full picture of the concerns.
