Cambridge University is bracing itself for a possible two-third drop in admissions of EU students. This comes months after the nation decided to leave the European Union in what has been called Brexit.
Cambridge News reported that the university is expecting "serious repercussions" for Britain's global status as a venue for research. This is because there is a "significant risk" that European lecturers and researchers will no longer choose to work in the U.K. if they are required to apply for visas.
The university is one of several institutions that have warned about "major challenges" to the higher education sector caused by the nation leaving EU. University College London warned that EU withdrawal has created a "heightened reputational risk for UK education as a whole."
In Cambridge University's warning, the institution believes that Brexit will cause a negative impact on higher education and research activities in the U.K. The school is concerned about a "cliff edge" for universities especially in light of the sudden and damaging impact of regulatory and visa changes, as per Times Higher Education's report.
It was noted that about 10 percent of Cambridge undergraduates come from non-U.K. EU countries. Applications from the 27 remaining member states have also fallen by 14 percent this year.
Moreover, this could mean that U.K. institutions will no longer be able to give lower fees for European students than those from outside the EU because of equality laws. This may result to a possible drop in admissions from non-U.K. EU students.
According to The Guardian, Cambridge's latest data for undergraduate admissions in 2017 had already seen a drop in applications from the EU by 17 percent. This is the first concrete evidence of a "Brexit effect" that hits university applications.
The drop comes after the British government has guaranteed access to student loans to EU-based undergraduates until they complete their course. University College of London added that Brexit would cut the income from teaching if the funding will not be addressed properly.
UCL noted that student numbers may see a substantial drop if access to the student loan book is withdrawn. The institution expects that the immediate effects of that particular announcement may be felt by students from eastern Europe.
