EU students in the UK after Brexit

The migration of EU students to the UK has fallen significantly after Brexit. This briefing note discusses how the numbers have changed, how trends vary by country of origin, and what EU students study in the UK, as well as where.

The number of EU students enrolling in a new course in British universities fell sharply after Brexit

In the 2023/24 academic year, 28,400 students from the European Union enrolled on a new course in UK universities. That was 57% lower than in 2020/21, the last year when free movement rules applied to students from the EU. Numbers had been relatively stable during the 2010s (Figure 1).

Looking at the total number of EU students enrolled in UK universities, the number fell 51% from a peak of 153,000 in the 2020/21 academic year to 75,000 in the 2023/23 academic year (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Similar patterns of stability and sudden decline can be seen for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, although prospective undergraduates have been particularly affected by the changes. Between 2020/21 and 2023/24, the number of new postgraduates from the EU fell by 43%, compared to a 67% decline among undergraduates.

Previously capped at a uniform £9,250 a year, undergraduate tuition fees for EU students increased to between £11,400 and £32,000 a year in 2021/22, up to four times higher. Postgraduate fees have increased considerably less for EU students, as their value was never capped (additionally, for a proportion of postgraduate students, tuition fees are covered by scholarships, providing an additional layer of protection against higher costs).

While tuition costs have increased significantly, research on prospective students from the EU shows the UK continues to be an attractive destination for those looking to study abroad in English. The high quality of teaching and professional opportunities mean that a UK degree continues to often be seen as offering good value for money, though prospective students have concerns about high living costs, difficulties in getting a visa, and a lack of a welcoming environment.

As EU student numbers declined, those of other international students in the UK rose significantly. Non-EU student enrolments reached a record high of 430,000 in 2022/23 before declining 7% the following year. The number of non-EU students started growing in 2016 and has more than doubled since. Previous Migration Observatory research indicates this growth is mostly driven by students from Asia, particularly China and India. The increase in non-EU students is not necessarily linked to the decline in EU students; it is believed to result from the UK becoming more attractive to non-EU students due to the reintroduction of a post-study work visa and from universities’ efforts to recruit more students from overseas.

In early 2024, in response to record levels of net migration and student migration, the government introduced new visa restrictions. These prevent international students on postgraduate taught courses from bringing close family members with them to the UK. (Undergraduates were never allowed to bring family, while those on research courses continue to be able to bring dependants.) The full impact of these measures is not reflected in the most recent data release from universities, though they are likely to have led to a significant drop in student enrolments, particularly for some non-EU nationalities that were particularly likely to bring dependants to the UK. In 2024, the number of study visas issued by the Home Office declined by 14% compared to the year before. However, this decline was entirely driven by non-EU nationalities. The number of study visas issued to EU nationals rose by 5% in 2024.

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In 2024, there were around 22,000 EU applications to undergraduate courses in the UK, 58% fewer than in 2020

In 2024, around 22,000 people domiciled in the EU applied to undergraduate courses in the UK, 58% lower than in 2020. Between 2016 and 2024, the number of non-EU applicants rose by 71%.

The decline and subsequent stabilisation in the number of EU students is thus confirmed by data from the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The undergraduate admissions process in the UK is essentially centralised, with prospective students applying through UCAS for a maximum of 5 course options across all institutions.

Figure 2

Multiple factors will affect the number of EU students in the future, including the attractiveness of the UK as a destination and the availability of funding for students to take up their offers. Success rates are also influenced by competition for places with other students, including other international ones.

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In 2023/24, EU students made up under 7% of all new international students, compared to 25% a few years ago

These two trends – growing numbers of non-EU students and a steep drop in European students after Brexit – generated a sharp fall in the proportion of EU citizens among the UK’s international student body. In the 2023/24 academic year, EU students made up around 6.6% of newly enrolled international students, compared to 25% in 2017/18. Among undergraduates, the EU share of all new international students was consistently close to a third during the past decade but fell to 11% in 2023/24.

Students from the EU were always less well represented among international postgraduates, making up around 20% of all new postgraduate students from abroad before inflows from non-EU countries started increasing in 2016. The end of free movement further accelerated the decline of the EU share to 5% of newly enrolled international postgraduates in 2023/24.

Figure 3

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The number of new students from Romania and Poland fell particularly sharply after post-Brexit rules were implemented

Some EU countries have experienced a particularly sharp fall (Table 1). New student numbers from Romania and Poland fell by around 80% between 2020/21 and 2023/24 (with most of the decline occurring in the first year).

In contrast, the number of new students from France or Germany fell by less than half. A plausible explanation is that the increase in costs hit students from lower-income EU countries particularly hard, shifting the balance of European students in Britain towards those from higher-income Member States in Western Europe.

Ireland, the top EU country of origin in recent years, stands as an exception, as the number of new Irish students in the UK has declined comparatively little over the years. Once again, this suggests that the decline observed across the board is driven by the change in policy. Students from Ireland have maintained their status in the UK after Brexit, retaining capped fees along with the right to access government-backed loans.

Table 1

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EU students are concentrated in London and Russell Group institutions

University College London (UCL) has been the top destination for EU students in the UK in each of the past ten years. Around 3,400 EU students were enrolled at UCL in 2023/24 – 38% lower than in 2020/21, before post-Brexit rules were introduced. The universities where EU students made up the highest share of the student body were the London School of Economics (13%) and Imperial College (10%).

EU students are particularly concentrated in universities that are either based in London or part of the research-intensive Russell Group, usually both. Of the top 15 institutions hosting EU students, only one – Ulster University in Northern Ireland – was not in London or the Russell Group. Note that all the top universities hosting EU students tend to have very international student bodies, with between one and two-thirds of all their students coming from outside the UK.

Table 2

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In 2023/24, the share of EU students was highest in mathematics, physical sciences, and veterinary sciences

In 2023/24, EU students were particularly likely to study mathematics, physical sciences, engineering, and veterinary sciences. Individuals from the EU were also over-represented among those studying design and languages.

Figure 4

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The financial impact of the end of free movement on UK universities has been limited

Although the end of free movement caused a sharp drop in EU students at UK universities, its financial impact on institutions is likely to have been limited. In 2022/23 – the last year where data were available – UK universities earned about £940m from the tuition fees of EU students, 30% less than in 2020/21 (Figure 5). The decline is smaller than that of enrolled students because the higher fees paid by new EU students partly compensate for their smaller number.

One analysis showed that, on average, institutions faced a shortfall of about £2,500 a year for each undergraduate paying domestic fees. Universities must cross-subsidise such programmes from other sources, mostly international students’ tuition fees. The effect of moving EU students to international fees is likely to turn them from net beneficiaries to contributors to this system.

The decline in revenue from EU students is not large in the context of overall university finance. In the last few years, tuition fee income from non-EU students rose sharply, to £11.2bn in 2022/23, more than double the figure seen in 2016/17. UK universities always earned considerably more from non-EU students than EU ones, and the gap had been widening before freedom of movement ended.

Figure 5

Some universities responded to the expected decline in EU students by introducing targeted scholarships or tuition fee discounts, though much of the initial support was subsequently withdrawn.

In 2021, the Scottish government introduced a scheme offering 275 scholarships for EU students starting a new master’s course, each worth £8,000 (around 1,900 students domiciled in the EU started a new such course in Scotland that year). However, funding for the scheme was not extended after its first year.

Some Scottish universities, including Glasgow, Aberdeen and Strathclyde, introduced additional support for EU undergraduates (£5-7,000 a year) and postgraduates (£5-12,000), though many others did not. A limited number of English universities also initially introduced tuition fee discounts of around £6,000 a year for EU students – these included Coventry, Reading, and Lancaster. However, only the first of these three institutions still offered support to EU students as of early 2025.