The Cyprus Students Union (POFEN) is concerned over the financial affects Brexit may have on thousands of Cypriot students currently studying in the UK.
POFEN fears that Cypriot students may find themselves paying 30-40% more in tuition fees in the wake of the Brexit aftermath.
In an announcement, POFEN notes that Cypriots and all other Europeans currently have the same rights as the local citizens and thus have been paying the same tuition as British students.
“Therefore, some of the key changes that will be made will be exclusion from student loan privileges and 30% to 40% increase in tuition fees. As it is understood, it will become extremely difficult for Cypriot students to attend UK universities,” POFEN’s Charalmbos Pantazis told the Financial Mirror.
Pantazis said, as things stand today, tuition fees are approximately €9,500 per year as EU citizens are treated as local students.
“International students pay approximately €6,000 more, that is an amount of approximately €15,500 per year. This increase will affect a large number of Cypriot Students, who may be unable to complete their studies with these tuition fees.”
POFEN’s secretary added that Cypriot students are also worried that they will not be able to benefit from student loans given by British banks with the same low interest rates as those given to local students as opposed to non-EU students who were considered international students.
“The day after Brexit is enforced, Cypriot students may find themselves in the same category as students from third countries.”
“What is apparent so far is that conditions for Cypriot students studying in the UK will become difficult after Brexit. As POFEN we call on the state to urgently look into the matter to clear the air regarding what will happen to Cypriot students studying in the UK and how this will affect the options of future students wanting to study abroad. The feeling we get is that the state is not taking the matter seriously,” said Pantazis.
The UK is one of the most popular destinations for Cypriots to study abroad.
According to the UK's Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), there were about 9,500 Cypriot students in the UK in the 2016/17 academic year.
The large majority of them (more than 7,000) were undergraduates.
The most popular courses to study are; Business, Engineering and Technology, Biological Science, Law, Creative Arts and Information Technology.
More than 8.200 were studying in England, 790 in Scotland, 440 in Wales and just 15 in Northern Ireland.
