How would UK higher education fare if Britain left the EU?

Students might benefit in the short term but we risk falling standards and increased taxpayer costs, says Gill Wyness. Education secretary Michael Gove unleashed another political storm this week when he said he would vote against EU membership in a referendum. The question of whether the UK could quit the EU is well and truly back on the table.
Those in favour of quitting Europe tend to argue that by leaving the EU the UK would save on costly membership fees, cut down on migration, and no longer be subject to EU legislation, while those who want to stay in Europe argue that leaving could threaten trade and investment and damage Britain's global standing. But what impact would leaving the EU have on the UK's higher education sector? Research suggests a departure could lead to declining quality and standards in UK universities, and could actually increase higher education costs to the taxpayer. HESA figures from 2011 reveal that there are 73,660 full-time undergraduate students from the EU currently studying in British universities. These students enjoy many of the benefits available to British students. Their tuition fees are capped at £9,000 a year (while fees for overseas students can be much higher) and, unlike overseas students, they can access our generous fee loan system, meaning their fees are deferred until after they graduate and are repayable only once they get a job. Read more...