Scotland’s universities ‘hammered’ by post-Brexit drop in EU students, says SNP

Brexit has “hammered” Scotland’s university sector, the SNP has claimed, as figures showed a fall of more than 60% in the number of EU students.

There were 20,895 students from the European Union enrolled in Scottish universities in the academic year 2019-20, according to figures from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice).

But with the UK having left the trading block at the end of January 2020, that total had fallen to 8,140 by 2024-25.

SNP MSP Alyn Smith, who previously was a Member of the European Parliament, branded that one of the “disastrous consequences” of the vote to leave the EU.

While Scots as a whole voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum, the UK narrowly opted to leave.

Research by the Higher Education Policy Institute found that Brexit had had “a dramatic impact on the number of incoming EU students” – saying they had previously made up one-in-four of all international students arriving in the UK, but adding that had fallen so that European students made up one in 12 of all new international students.

This decline is reported to have cost the UK economy almost £3bn.

And while the number of international students from outside of the EU has risen, the SNP said the figures showed an overall drop of 4,645 overseas students – raising concerns about the impact on Scotland’s economy.

Mr Smyth said: “Scotland was dragged out of Europe against our will, but we are left facing the disastrous consequences every day – nowhere is that felt more than in our world-class universities.

“These figures show Brexit has hammered our universities, but attracting the brightest and best overseas students to Scotland also meant those people made Scotland their home – that is an incredible economic benefit that Scotland has lost.”

With the SNP pledging an independent Scotland would seek to rejoin the EU, Mr Smith said this would allow the country to “rebuild ties with our neighbours” and “build a wealthier Scotland, back at the heart of Europe where we belong”.

The UK Government has been contacted for comment.