Brexit education data: EU student behaviours in the UK post-referendum

15 Jul 2016

In recent weeks, there has been great uncertainty around what impact Britain’s decision to leave the EU will have on its position as a leading study abroad destination. There’s no doubt that the results of the country’s referendum have cast a dark shadow over the university sector. Important questions remain unanswered: will Brexit have an adverse effect on international students choosing the UK for their studies?

While it’s too early to tell in the long-term what the repercussions for the UK’s international student sector might be, Student.com, the world’s leading marketplace for international student accommodation, yesterday released its own data findings surrounding EU students’ activity in the UK to see if there has been an immediate impact on European students booking their accommodation in the UK in the wake of the EU referendum.

In the wake of the UK #referendum on EU membership, what will #Brexit mean for domestic and international students? https://t.co/MuJoSWnN2B

— Top Universities (@TopUnis) July 14, 2016

Post-Brexit European Bookings to the UK: Keep Calm and Carry On

Based on booking data from European students in the first ten days of July 2016 compared to the same period last year, Student.com have observed several interesting insights into EU students’ booking behaviours in the UK post-Brexit. Full data can be found in a blog by Student.com CEO and co-founder Luke Nolan, but key insights can be found below:

The number of European students booking accommodation in the UK has more than doubled from July 2015 to July 2016

The number of bookings from France, Spain and Germany have doubled in July 2016 compared to July 2015, and bookings from Italy have grown by 50%

Student.com took bookings from seven different European countries during July 2015; this has grown to 17 different European countries in July 2016

“Data aside, in the few days immediately following the referendum result on the 24 June, Student.com booking teams were fielding recurrent questions from European students,” writes Nolan. “Specifically, they wondered whether their application processes would change, or whether they would need visas ahead of studying in the UK.

“Recently, these questions have subsided, however, uncertainty still remains as the UK welcomes a new prime minister and begins the process of leaving the EU.

“It remains to be seen how much Brexit will affect the international education industry in the UK and Europe. For now, it seems we are all adapting the rather British approach of ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’,” Nolan concludes.

Image via Flickr.