UK Offers EU Students Cheaper Fees for Industry Access
The Facts
- The U.K. government is prepared to spend hundreds of millions of pounds per year to compensate British universities for granting EU students discounted tuition fees, according to an exclusive report by The Guardian on Monday.
- Two sources told the newspaper that the government could spend up to £450 million ($603.9 million) on the scheme. Meanwhile, Campus Numerics analyst Mark Corver claimed that the costings could be around £140 million in the first year and roughly £400 million over three years.
- Complementary reporting from other outlets suggests the spending would reduce U.K. tuition fees for EU students from between £27,000 and £38,000 to as low as between £9,525 and £9,790, in line with what domestic undergraduates pay, following pressure from EU states.
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The Spin
Pro-Europe narrative
If the reports are true, this trade would be a smart bargain for the U.K. government. After all, every barrier the government lifts on food, carbon markets and youth mobility will strengthen the economy and make the country less isolated. It has already hurt the U.K. to pretend that closer cooperation with the EU is impossible; this signals an end to that illusion.
Anti-Europe narrative
The U.K. government has its priorities in the completely wrong order. Instead of helping struggling British graduates with mounting tuition debt and loan repayments, Burnham has decided to subsidize the education of European students in exchange for vague industrial promises. British students deserve to come first, not to be treated as an afterthought.
