Brexit 'uncertainty' has lead to drop in overseas university students, says Tory minister

According to the latest figures from the admissions service, Ucas, the number of EU students applying for a place at a UK university has dropped by five per cent on last year

Uncertainty surrounding the UK’s future with Brexit could have caused a drop in overseas students coming to Britain, according to a Conservative minister.

Speaking on the BBC’s Daily Politics programme, Tobias Ellwood, a defence minister, said “there is a concern with the number of overseas students coming here that have been, perhaps, concerned about where things are with Brexit” after being challenged on falling student numbers.

According to the latest figures from the admissions service, Ucas, the number of EU students applying for a place at a UK university has dropped by five per cent on last year – the first decline since 2012. In the year of the referendum, applicants from EU students stood 51,850. The figure for 2017 is 49,250.

“I think the reason why they’ve dropped down is actually to do with the uncertainty with our position on Brexit,” Mr Ellwood told the BBC.

Labour MP Wes Streeting said Mr Ellwood had “let the cat out of the bag”, adding: “Brexit and the Government’s uncertain handling of it is causing the number of young people from Europe coming to study in British universities to plummet.

He continued: “EU nationals studying here are an unambiguous good for our country. Their knowledge and drive has helped turn many of our universities into powerhouses of innovation, and they pump billions of pounds into our economy each year.

“Tobias Ellwood should be commended for his honesty, but he now needs to get his Government colleagues to actually do something about it. Universities and potential students alike need certainty that we will not undergo a hard Brexit that takes us out of vital EU programmes like Erasmus."