By Boris Pavlov, Year 11
Politics over the past two years have prominently covered the latest updates concerning Brexit, as negotiations and resignments have riddled the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. However, with its deadline drawing nearer and its results still unclear, the potential effects grow in scale.
Although Parliament has recently begun to unite in their action plan, it is still far from being prepared for the UK’s exit from the EU, and even less so for a no-deal scenario. The consequences of either will require legislation that needs to be passed.
This brings into question the future of university application in the UK. It still remains uncertain if, and what, changes may look like; however, they are unlikely to affect currently non-EU international applicants. For EU students looking to apply, it is a possibility that tuition fees will no longer be the same as those for UK students but instead raised to those of other international students. These uncertainties are even greater for applicants after the year 2021.
Although universities have clearly expressed that they mean in no way to discourage students from applying, Parliament has proposed instituting student visa requirements that could oppose these views. This contradictory message is one that could have large consequences and that will need to be resolved.
It therefore stands that Brexit not only poses consequences often covered in the news such as trade deals, border issues and questions on freedom of movement, but ones relating to students applying to the universities in the UK as well.
