Exit from bloc takes toll on overseas students

Significant rise

Although the enrollment of non-EU first-year students in 2021-22 rose by 32 percent, and there has been a significant rise in numbers of Chinese students from 107,000 in 2017-2018 to 151,000 last year, many of the new overseas intakes are only taking postgraduate courses lasting one year, so they do not redress the economic balance.

Scottish universities have suffered the same as the rest of the UK, despite voters in Scotland having backed remaining in the EU at the 2016 referendum, and being taken out as part of the wider UK decision, which is a contributory factor to raised tensions between Scotland's devolved government and central powers in Westminster.

Carol Monaghan, education spokeswoman for the Scottish National Party, called the impact of Brexit on higher education "devastating", putting European students off coming to Scotland and also preventing Scottish students from participating in European study programs.

"Brexit has been catastrophic for young people across Scotland as their opportunities to work, travel and study in Europe have been severely hindered by the ending of free movement of people," she said.