EU students could receive university fee discounts worth up to £28,000 under proposals that critics warn would leave UK universities £500 million worse off.
Conservatives have accused Keir Starmer of continuing to make concessions to Brussels in the final days of his premiership, following reports that the Prime Minister discussed offering reduced university tuition fees for European students as part of wider UK-EU negotiations.
Dame Priti Patel said: “In Keir Starmer’s final days in office, he’s still caving in to the demands of the EU. He spent his premiership plotting to betray Brexit and drag Britain back into the EU. His legacy is one of failure and letting the UK’s standing in the world plummet.”
Her comments came after The Telegraph reported that tuition fees for EU students were discussed during talks between Sir Keir and senior European Union leaders ahead of a proposed UK-EU summit.
According to the report, discussions took place between Sir Keir, Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa during the G7 summit in France earlier this month.
The newspaper reported claims from sources familiar with the negotiations that Brussels has pressed the UK to allow EU students studying at British universities to pay the same tuition fees as domestic students. Prior to Brexit, students from EU member states were eligible for home-fee status in the UK, but since the UK’s departure from the bloc they have generally been charged international rates.
Under current arrangements, most UK undergraduates pay annual tuition fees of up to £9,535. International students, including those from EU countries, can face fees significantly higher than that amount, with some courses costing tens of thousands of pounds per year.
Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, said: “Keir Starmer has got his priorities all wrong. We should be cutting the cost of university for British students, not those from the EU.”
Whitehall sources acknowledged that university tuition fees for EU students had been discussed during recent meetings with European leaders, but government officials rejected suggestions that Sir Keir had offered the change as a concession.
A government spokesman said: “We do not recognise these claims. We are focused on building a closer relationship with Europe that works for the British people. We will not give a running commentary on ongoing talks.”
The proposed UK-EU summit, originally scheduled for July, was intended to advance negotiations on a range of issues including youth mobility arrangements and efforts to reduce trade barriers affecting sectors such as food, drink and energy.
However, the meeting was subsequently postponed following Sir Keir’s announcement that he would step down as Prime Minister. Reports suggest EU officials were concerned about reaching agreements with a departing leader before the identity of his successor was known.
One of the key issues under discussion is understood to be a proposed youth mobility scheme that would allow young people from the UK and EU to live, work and study in each other’s countries for a limited period.
The possibility of restoring home-fee status for EU students has prompted concerns within the higher education sector. The Russell Group has previously warned that such a move could cost British universities more than £500 million in lost income, as institutions currently receive substantially higher fees from many overseas students.
Official figures for the 2024-25 academic year show that around 11 per cent of international students enrolled at UK universities came from EU countries. Universities have relied heavily on higher overseas tuition fees in recent years to offset financial pressures elsewhere in the sector.
Critics have also raised questions about the student loan system. Unlike UK graduates, whose repayments are typically collected through the British tax system, recovering outstanding loan repayments from graduates living overseas can be more challenging.
Worth reading in full here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/30/starmer-offer-eu-students-cut-price-tuition-fee-brexit-talk/
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