The British government’s decision to abolish loans to EU students

Subject: The British government’s decision to abolish loans to EU students

On the occasion of the British government’s decision to abolish student loans from the next academic year together with a range of financial facilities for EU students, including thousands of Cypriots, and bearing in mind that the UK is one of the most popular destinations for Cypriot students, will the Commission say what it intends to do to help the thousands of students who have secured admission to British universities or are planning to study in Britain and are directly affected by this decision?

Answer given by Ms Gabriel on behalf of the European Commission

(25 September 2020)

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, EU students who started their studies in the United Kingdom (UK) before the end of the transition period will continue to pay the same tuition fees and be eligible for tuition fee loans on the same conditions as British citizens.

EU citizens resident in the UK who qualify for a new UK residence status after the end of the transition period will keep their right of residence and equal treatment; they will therefore also continue to pay the same tuition fees and be eligible for tuition fee loans on the same conditions as British citizens.

EU students starting their studies in the UK after the end of the transition period may be required to pay higher tuition fees, and may not be eligible for financial support on the same conditions as British citizens, except where provided otherwise in the Agreement on the New Partnership with the United Kingdom, if agreed and ratified.

Regardless of a UK Government decision to exclude EU students from its home status and loans access from 2021, the EU has several instruments that could financially support EU citizens intending to study in the UK:

1. The European Fund for Strategic Investments Skills & Education Guarantee Pilot (1) supports learners in all levels of education and training, including for transnational mobility.

2. The Erasmus+ Master Loan Guarantee Facility (2) helps students finance their Master courses in an Erasmus+ programme country (3). The UK will still be eligible until the closure of the programme (4).

3. Under the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community (5), the EU is funding a scholarships scheme allowing Turkish Cypriot students to undertake university studies or professional programmes in the EU. The UK has been an eligible country of destination until the academic year 2020-2021.

⋅1∙ https://www.eif.org/what_we_do/guarantees/skills-and-education-guarantee-pilot/1-se-pilot-ceoi-main-body.pdf.

⋅2∙ https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/opportunities/organisations/learning-mobility/master-degree-loan_en

⋅3∙ https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/about/who-can-take-part_en

⋅4∙ https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/about/brexit_en

⋅5∙ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1523015517144&uri=CELEX:32006R0389