Recommendation 56

For 2021–22, as EU students will now need to pay international student fees and immigration costs, Scottish universities were expecting in December 2020 an 80% drop in EU student numbers.132 However, UCAS data from 18 February 2021 shows that applications to Scottish universities by EU students for 2021–22 dropped by 40% (6,900 fewer applications), which is a similar to the rate of fall in England and Wales,133 and is much lower than the 80% fall many anticipated. Commenting on these statistics, Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland, said: The drop in EU student numbers is not as dramatic as many feared although we don’t know how this will impact individual universities and courses.134 Implications for Scottish university finances