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Brexit guidance for current and prospective students

St Mary’s is committed to welcoming students and staff from Europe and around the globe.

Brexit doesn’t change how we value our international community, but we know that it’s created some uncertainty. We hope that this information will help with any questions you may have about applying to St Mary’s.

UKCISA’s Brexit guidance and the UK government’s Get Ready for Brexit site are excellent sources of further information for students who may be affected by Brexit.

Coming to the UK

Immigration rules for students coming to the UK depend on the start date of their course. Students registered at St Mary’s by December 2020 who are nationals of an EU member state or Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland are advised to apply for settled status as soon as possible. This includes students beginning their studies at St Mary’s in September 2020. Please see the official guidance on applying for settled or pre-settled status for details.

If you are an Irish citizen, or if you already have indefinite leave to remain in the UK, then you do not need to apply for settled status.

The situation for students beginning their studies from January 2021 onwards will depend on the immigration system operating at the time. Please check UKCISA’s guidance for updates.

Tuition fees

EU nationals beginning their studies in England in the 2020/21 academic year will be eligible for home fee status, just as they are under current rules. There has not yet been a decision on fee arrangements for EU nationals beginning a course from September 2021 onwards. UKCISA’s guidance on home fee status eligibility is a very useful source of information on this issue.

Student loans

EU nationals who begin a university course in England in the 2020/21 academic year will remain eligible to receive loans from Student Finance England, just as they are under current rules.

There has not yet been a decision on student loan arrangements for EU nationals starting degrees in England from 2021/22 onwards. UKCISA has published full guidance about access to student finance, which will be updated as more information is available.

Access to healthcare

UKCISA has published guidance for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals about how Brexit may impact on access to healthcare in the UK.

International students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland

Immigration rules for students who currently need a Student visa won’t change because of Brexit, so if you’re in one of those categories, you won’t need to do anything differently. Please email studentvisas@stmarys.ac.uk if you have questions about your student visa.

Erasmus students

The UK’s participation in the Erasmus+ programme may change in different ways depending on how the UK leaves the EU. This is being negotiated during the withdrawal process and more clarity should emerge before the end of 2020.

Travelling during Brexit

UK citizens planning to travel should keep an eye on the government’s latest guidance on visiting Europe after Brexit.  All travellers should plan for a certain amount of disruption for the first few weeks after the UK’s exit date, especially if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Please allow plenty of extra time when travelling in or out of the UK and check the government’s foreign travel advice before finalising travel plans.

Please note: this content is correct at the time of writing 23rd January 2020.