EU student fees at UK universities could fall to about GBP 13,000 a year under a compromise now on the table before the UK-EU summit in Brussels on 20 November 2026. The figure, first reported by The Telegraph and analysed by University World News on 16 October, would sit between home and international rates and could bring European undergraduates back.
Key facts
- Since Brexit, EU students in England pay international fees; the home undergraduate cap is GBP 9,790 a year.
- The reported compromise would charge EU students roughly what a degree costs to deliver, about GBP 13,000 a year.
- EU undergraduate numbers in the UK fell from 106,515 in 2020-21 to 37,710 in 2024-25, according to analyst Janet Ilieva.
- The Russell Group puts the cost of full home-fee status for EU students at around GBP 580 million.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham meets António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on 20 November.
What is actually being negotiated?
Fees are a bargaining chip inside a larger package. Brussels wants a youth mobility scheme that lets under-30s live, work and study on both sides of the Channel. London wants easier access for food exporters and closer energy links. According to Nick Gutteridge’s report in The Telegraph on 2 October, EU negotiators first asked for the full home rate. British officials held out for international fees. The middle position is a fee pegged to the cost of the course.
The two sides have not closed the gap. The Telegraph says the UK wants the youth scheme capped below 50,000 people a year while Brussels wants no limit, and that the fee question has been parked for later. Burnham has not signed off. The UK government’s summit announcement of 12 October lists security, migration and red tape for farmers, and does not mention students at all.
Accounts of earlier positions also differ. University World News writes that former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer rejected the Commission’s demand for fee parity. The Telegraph reports that in June he agreed to EU demands on domestic fees in a last attempt to finish the talks. Both cannot describe the same final position, and the summit text will be the first official record.
How the EU student fees proposal compares
| Fee or cost (England, per year) | Amount (GBP) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Home undergraduate cap, 2026-27 | 9,790 | UWN, The Telegraph |
| Average cost of undergraduate teaching, 2023-24 | 12,317 | KPMG study for the Department for Education |
| Proposed EU rate | about 13,000 | The Telegraph |
| International law, Sunderland (2026-27) | 17,500 | UWN |
| International law, UCL (2026-27) | 35,400 | UWN |
The KPMG averages hide wide spreads. Social sciences cost about GBP 10,340 per student, engineering and technology about GBP 14,083. A flat GBP 13,000 would therefore lose money on some courses and make money on others.
Why universities are listening
Money explains most of it. The Office for Students estimates that 45% of English universities face a deficit in 2025-26, and EU recruitment has collapsed by almost two thirds since 2020. “I’m optimistic EU student numbers could be rebuilt,” Ilieva, founder of Education Insight, told University World News. She also expects the UK’s return to Erasmus+ to help.
Not everyone is convinced. Anne-Marie Graham, who recently stepped down as chief executive of UKCISA, warned that a special EU rate would likely look unfair to students from elsewhere, and that India might read it as a slight. She also pointed out that GBP 13,000 would still exceed fees at most EU universities.
Erasmus+ arrives first
Whatever happens on fees, mobility is already changing. The UK rejoins Erasmus+ from the 2027-28 academic year at a cost of around GBP 570 million, as 3LNews reported when the deal was announced. FE Week reported that ministers expect more than 100,000 UK learners, apprentices and students to go abroad in the first year. Exchange students on Erasmus+ pay no tuition to the host, so short mobility will reopen before full-degree recruitment does. We looked at the mixed reactions to that return in an earlier analysis.
What this means for educators and trainers
- UK admissions and international offices: model two scenarios for 2027 entry, international fees and a cost-based EU rate, and check which courses would run at a loss under GBP 13,000.
- Guidance counsellors in EU secondary schools: students choosing for September 2027 should know that a lower fee is possible but unconfirmed, and that UK student loans are not part of the discussion so far.
- Erasmus+ coordinators on both sides: partnership agreements with UK institutions can be prepared now for 2027-28 mobility.
- Vocational providers: apprentices and VET learners are counted in the Erasmus+ estimates, so the opening concerns colleges as well as universities.
FAQ
Have EU student fees in the UK changed yet?
No. EU students still pay international fees. Any new rate would need a UK-EU agreement and then rules from each UK nation.
Would EU students get UK student loans?
Nothing reported so far suggests it. The discussion covers the fee level only.
When could a new rate apply?
No date has been announced. The 20 November summit is the next point at which a decision could be made public.
Sources: University World News; The Telegraph (via AOL); GOV.UK; FE Week.
