In recent years, hundreds of Dutch students travelled to Scotland for their studies No tuition fees were required until now, but due to Brexit it now costs the proverbial arm and leg.
For residents of Scotland, four-year undergraduate degrees are free of charge. EU citizens used to be able to study there free of charge as well, but Brexit has put a stop to this.
Dutch students used to travel to Scotland en masse to study; almost three hundred in the past academic year alone (at Bachelor’s degree level). Another three hundred signed up for a postgraduate degree (Master’s degree level).
Grim reality
Scottish support for Brexit is almost non-existent. What the cabinet really wanted was for EU citizens to retain access to Scottish higher education, but at the end of this year the transitional period for Brexit officially ends and so will access for EU students. New international students will then have to pay.
“That is the stark reality of Brexit and a painful reminder that our country’s decisions are affected by UK policies that we do not support and did not vote for”, said Minister for Education Richard Lochhead of the Scottish National Party.
England now more popular
Students from other countries in the United Kingdom were already required to pay tuition fees in Scotland. They were out of pocket for significantly more than EU students, paying more than nine thousand pounds in the first three years, just like they would in their own part of the country.
Dutch students favour England, with universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, over Scotland, despite soaring high tuition fees. In recent years more than 2,400 Dutch students started a degree in English higher education.