A statement regarding fees and finance of EU students not from the UK

Unfortunately, the UK has voted to leave the European Union. We realise that this will worry many students, offer holders and prospective applicants, but below are two statements which clarify our understanding of the situation.

At present, our advice is that if you intend to apply from an EU country other than the UK in autumn 2016 for entry in autumn 2018 (i.e. not 2017), you are strongly advised to contact the College in advance, at undergraduate.admissions@caths.cam.ac.uk.

Miranda Griffin and David Bainbridge
Admissions Tutors

A statement from the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge:

It is not currently known what will be the impact of leaving the EU on UK policy on higher education tuition fees, loans and bursaries. However, the University can confirm that undergraduate EU students who are already studying at Cambridge, who have an offer to study at Cambridge, or who apply in 2016 to start their studies in 2017, will continue to be charged the UK fee rate applicable at the time, provided this continues to be permitted by UK law. Please note that the UK fee rate may be subject to increases, which may be annual.

A statement from the Student Loans Company (slc.co.uk):

The following statement applies to EU nationals who are currently in receipt of student loans from the Student Loans Company (SLC), and to EU nationals who intend to begin studying from this autumn.

EU nationals or their family members, currently in higher education, and who are assessed as eligible to receive loans and/or grants from the SLC, will continue to receive these loans and grants until they finish their course. This applies to all student finance from the SLC for students in England for which EU nationals are eligible. This includes loans to cover tuition fees (for those resident in the EEA for three years), loans and grants for maintenance (limited to those resident in the UK for at least three years), and some other grants and allowances.

The rules applying to EU nationals, or their family members, who have applied for a place at university from this August to study a course which attracts student support are unchanged. The SLC will assess these applications against existing eligibility criteria, and will provide loans and/or grants in the normal way. EU nationals, or their family members, who are assessed as eligible to receive grants and/ or loans by the SLC will then be eligible for the duration of their study on that course. These eligibility criteria set out that for students beginning study from this August, EU nationals must have been resident in the UK for at least five years in order to apply for a maintenance loan.

Students should consult their university’s student finance office, or the GOV.UK website, for information on what support they can receive.