Brexit's uncertainty is leading to an exodus of EU students
(8 Sep 2017) LEADIN: Every university student has anxieties -- about making new friends, buying the right books and moving away from home. But EU students in Brexit-era Britain are also facing the stress of a very uncertain future. STORYLINE: Vittoria Durazzano moved to London in 2015 with hopes of a long-term future there. She was starting university at the prestigious London School of Economics and could see a career in Britain blossoming post-grad. As an Italian, her EU status allowed her to pay half the tuition price of other international students, 9,250 pounds ($12,062) rather than 18,408 pounds ($24,005). She could live and work in Britain without a visa. But Britain's vote to leave the European Union last year changed all that. When the country leaves the bloc in 2019, there's no promise that the financial and immigration perks for European students will remain. Durazzano and other EU students who begin their studies before 2019 will still pay EU tuition rates, but it's unclear what costs will be after that. And there's no set plan for their residency status post-Brexit – meaning it may be harder to get a job and work in Britain's capital. The uncertainty may force Durazzano to leave her dream city of London. "Even just for me, specifically, because I want to work in the EU, this means I will never be from London," she says. She isn't alone. More than 60,000 EU students attend British universities, bringing brain power for employers, diversity and more than 400 million pounds ($518 million) of tuition money with them each year, on top of the 500 million pounds these universities receive in EU funding annually. This year, EU applications to UK schools dropped for the first time since 2012, by 5 percent. More than 2,500 young, bright Europeans took their talents elsewhere, rather than face the uncertainties of Brexit. The British government has promised that EU students will pay their current tuition prices and stay visa-free until 2019 – and that's about all they've promised. "It is quite scary, just in terms of not knowing, I think is the biggest problem," she says. "I think the biggest problem is that we don't know yet what will change – if something will change. Which it might not. Hopefully it won't." The Russell Group, which represents 24 of the UK's top universities, including LSE, Cambridge and Oxford, has repeatedly asked the British government to provide clarity for EU students, including assurances that they will be able to stay and work in Britain after graduation. Their head of policy, Jessica Cole, says their requests for clarity are still unanswered. But their universities are planning as much as they can to keep top EU students coming in post-Brexit. "We have very selective universities – they're looking for the best and the brightest minds, wherever they come from in the world. And that includes the EU, so we really want to make sure that after Brexit those bright, young students in Europeans countries aren't put off considering studying in the UK " she says. David Kurten, the education spokesman for the UK Independence Party, which campaigned in favour of Brexit, says the global appeal of schools like LSE and Oxford will endure after 2019. He notes that applications from international students outside of Europe, particularly East Asia, are on the rise, despite their higher tuition fee. "European Union students can still come, but they will have to pay the international fees, whatever LSE wants to set as their international fee" he says. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
