Britain would explore lowering tuition fees for students from EU countries at UK universities but only as part of a “very big” offer from Brussels as part of a wider “reset” of post-Brexit ties, UK officials have said.
The number of young people from the EU studying in the UK dropped sharply after Brexit and a sharp rise in tuition fees, and Brussels is pushing to cut those costs in talks with London over a new youth mobility scheme.
Britain has previously rejected as “a non-starter” the idea of EU students paying “home fees” to attend its universities. But as chancellor Rachel Reeves pushes to deepen bilateral ties, UK officials said the issue could yet be discussed if Brussels was prepared to make a big offer elsewhere.