Browne, Brexit and Brain Drain: exploring the impact of higher tuition fees and Brexit on EU undergraduate and postgraduate research enrolments in UK higher education using administrative data
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In this presentation, Paul will explore the impact of two major political changes on the enrolment of EU students in UK universities. Following the Browne Review of 2010, English universities were permitted to raise annual undergraduate tuition fees to £9,000+ for UK, and by implication, EU students. Following a referendum in 2016, the UK left the EU in 2020, meaning EU students lost their eligibility for ‘home’ student equivalence. Both changes were expected to have a significant impact on EU enrolments in UK higher education through price sensitivity, and consequently impacts on UK universities themselves. Using administrative data from higher education institutions providing full population coverage, Paul will present three separate studies exploring these outcomes. Firstly, there will be an exploration of whether EU enrolments reduced after the introduction of higher ‘home’ undergraduate fees, and if so how. Secondly, the session will outline the impact of Brexit on undergraduate enrolments, including how this played out across different institutions, disciplines and countries. Thirdly, Paul will specifically explore the Brexit effect on doctoral enrolments. The results reveal a complex set of outcomes, sometimes entirely expected, but sometimes confounding easy prediction.