Where 770 students went to the United Kingdom in 2018-2019, only 439 Flemish students are now studying. A 44 percent decrease, according to figures from Flemish parliamentarian Brecht Varnes (CD&V). Requested to Education Minister Ben Waits (N-VA). After Brexit, it has become much less attractive and more difficult to block in the UK. After Brexit, the UK also left the well-known Erasmus+ programme. As a result, Flemish students dreaming of Oxford, Cambridge or another British school can no longer fall back on Erasmus+ and the accompanying grant.
In addition to additional paperwork related to visas and insurance, repatriation from the UK mainly entails additional costs. For example, Flemish students have to pay for their own travel and accommodation. They will not benefit from the reduced tuition rate. This way, the registration fee will soon rise to 20,000 pounds (almost 23,000 euros). At least ten times more than you would pay in Belgium.
“Unacceptable,” says Warnes. “British students are very welcome here. But if our own students have to pay higher registration fees to study there, something is wrong. A little unity and mutual respect is allowed.
British students can still study in Belgian schools. “This happens more often, and they usually do so with the support of the Turing project,” VUB says. It is the British counterpart of European Erasmus+, and the government in Westminster has already pumped more than €100 million into it over the past two years.
“But it doesn’t match the European system in terms of scale, ease of use and brand awareness,” says Minister Weitz. In response, he increased the budget for support for Erasmus students going to non-EU countries from 1.3 to 2.3 million euros.
“But because of the high tuition fees in England, it can’t have an effect,” Warnes counters. “Minister Waites should consult with his British colleagues. Otherwise, an exchange to the United Kingdom will become a privilege only for wealthy students.
The strike, in particular, looks like college students getting rid of their British Erasmus programs. Of those, almost 60 per cent fewer young people go to the UK on exchange after Brexit. Universities are less concerned with financial and administrative issues, choosing another destination only 6 percent more often.
Logical, according to Warnes. “Applied science university students often go for a short term or internship. As a result, the entry cost for them is higher than for university graduates. In most cases, they stay for at least one year.
