EU students in the UK after Brexit: fee status, visas, and settled status explained

Home fee status ended in 2021

Free movement between the EU and the UK ended on 31 December 2020. From the 2021-22 academic year, EU, EEA, and Swiss students lost the automatic right to pay the same tuition as UK students. Universities now charge most new EU applicants the international rate, the same band that applies to students from outside Europe.

What you pay now

UK universities cap home-fee tuition for a full-time undergraduate degree in England at £9,790 for the 2026-27 academic year . International fees sit well above that and vary by university and course, since each institution sets its own rate for non-home students. Check the specific fee listed on your course page rather than a generic figure, and compare it against your other European options before you commit.

Student finance changed with the fee status. EU students without settled or pre-settled status can no longer access UK tuition fee loans or maintenance loans, so you need to fund the full international fee plus living costs yourself or through your home country's support schemes.

Postgraduate students face the same shift

The fee status change applies at every level of study, not only undergraduate degrees. EU postgraduate applicants without settled or pre-settled status pay the international postgraduate fee set by their chosen university, and the same Student visa rules apply to master's and doctoral courses longer than six months.

Fee caps outside England

Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland set their own fee caps and rules, separate from England's £9,790 figure, so check the specific nation's rules and its own EU/international fee tier if you are applying outside England.

The EU Settlement Scheme exception

EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals who applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and hold settled or pre-settled status keep home fee status and loan eligibility, provided they also meet a residence test set out in House of Commons Library guidance , typically three years living in the UK, EEA, or Switzerland before the course starts. The deadline to apply to the scheme was 30 June 2021 for anyone resident in the UK by 31 December 2020. If you missed it and were already living in the UK by that date, contact UK Visas and Immigration about a late application, since the Home Office still accepts these where there is a valid reason for the delay.

Student visa requirements for new applicants

If you are starting a new course now and do not qualify through the Settlement Scheme, you need a Student visa for any course longer than six months. Short courses of up to six months, including English language courses at an accredited provider, do not require a visa. Applications open once you have an unconditional offer and a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your university, and you need to show proof of funds and, for most courses, an English language qualification.

Proof of funds for your visa

Alongside your CAS, the Student visa route requires proof you can cover your course fees and living costs for a set period. The exact maintenance amount depends on where you study and how long your course runs, and the Home Office updates this figure periodically, so check the current amount on the official Student visa guidance before you apply rather than relying on a figure from a previous intake.

Irish citizens are unaffected

Irish citizens keep home fee status and access to student finance regardless of the EU Settlement Scheme. This runs on the Common Travel Area, the UK-Ireland arrangement that predates EU membership on both sides and was preserved through Brexit by a bilateral memorandum of understanding.

If you started your course before August 2021

EU students who began a UK course before the 2021-22 academic year generally kept home fee status and loan eligibility for the rest of that course, under transitional arrangements confirmed by individual universities. If this describes you, check your specific university's Brexit fee guidance page to confirm your continuing rate.

Fewer exchange places through Erasmus+

The UK left Erasmus+ after Brexit, so EU students can no longer join a UK university through that programme's exchange places. Some UK universities run their own bilateral exchange agreements with EU partner institutions, so check directly with the international office at your home university if you are looking for a semester exchange rather than a full degree.

Before you apply

• Check whether you qualify for settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme before assuming international fees apply to you

• Confirm the exact international fee on your course page, not a country average

• Apply for a Student visa as soon as you have your CAS, since processing takes several weeks

• Ask about scholarships and bursaries aimed at international students, since home-fee loans are no longer available to most new EU applicants

• Irish citizens should confirm home-fee status directly with admissions rather than assume it, since some universities still ask for documentation