Since the Brexit vote there has been some worry and uncertainty as to how student loans and grants would work for EU citizens applying for university places.
This week, however, government ministers have announced that EU students will still be allocated UK university loans - despite the outcome of the referendum - saying that they still wanted international students to contribute to the academia of this country.
As it stands, undergraduate learners from EU member states from outside Britain pay the same as UK students in terms of tuition fees. Loans for EU students are available on the same platform as UK students too.
Many anti Brexit supporters feared that rules would change if Britain left the EU; they haven’t, and now university minister Jo Johnson believes the news should help alleviate a lot of fears, especially with EU students themselves.
He said: We know that the result of the referendum brought with it some uncertainties for our higher education sector. That is why we acted quickly to provide immediate funding guarantees for existing students and those applying to study this year.
“International students make an important contribution to our world class universities, and we want that to continue.”
The SNP is now being asked to make the same pledge for academics wishing to study in Scotland.
Universities up and down the country are now breathing a sigh of relief since the announcement. Many had been worried that the uncertainty would impact on the number of students applying to study in the country.
The announcement means that funding will stay the same from 2017-18 and will be maintained on that level for the length of a student’s course.