British universities offer students from EU member states tuition discounts after the end of the Brexit transition period at the end of the year.
As originally reported in a Politico report, the move comes amid fears that the number of Community students wishing to study in Britain will drop significantly from next academic year. The same tuition fees as for British students will no longer apply to those enrolled in universities, as will the same provisions regarding access to public student loans. According to government estimates in London, enrollment of European students could be reduced by 20%.
However, as the publication points out, the offer of the universities is questionable in terms of its legitimacy, as it may violate the British legislation on discrimination.
On its website, Royal Holloway University in London states that according to government decisions, community students who start their studies in September 2021 will no longer be treated like their native classmates, but notes that the university itself offers "automatic reduction the tuition that brings them to the same level as the tuition paid by British students ".
Tuition will even remain at the same level for the entire duration of the study program that will begin in September 2021.
It is also noted that the university has not yet decided the tuition policy for community students who will want to start their studies in September 2022.
Two lawyers specializing in higher education told Politico that the offer could constitute discrimination on the basis of nationality under British law. However, as they point out, this will not be established until a case is reported and justice is done.
A Royal Holloway spokesman told Politico that the university appreciates the role that students from EU countries play in the student environment and decided to provide assistance over the next three years for the "transitional period" of changing scholarships with specific scholarships. to students who are entitled to them. He added that these scholarships will be reduced in value for each new group of students and will stop from 2024.
Among other universities, Essex is offering a scholarship program for European students from the next academic year, which could be as much as a. 5.000 discount for the first year of study.
The Universities UK, which represents British universities, is reportedly examining the legality of these reduced tuition offers and EU-only scholarships.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Education, however, said that "universities set their own tuition fees for international students and those interested should check with the university where they wish to study what the tuition is."
The spokesman added that "as autonomous institutions, universities are responsible for making tuition decisions and ensuring that they comply with their legal obligations."
Source: KYPE