Following the United Kingdom’s historic decision on Friday to exit the European Union ,many of the country’s non-British residents are concerned about what this might mean for them. Among them are Israeli students studying abroad, as well as Israelis wishing to do so, whose future is set to be greatly affected by this change.
British universities are among the leading academic institutions in the world, a fact reflected by the high tuition fees they require, ranging from 6,000 – 9,000 GBP (about $8,000 – 12,000) per year.
However, for many Israeli citizens holding a second, European passport, these costs were substantially mitigated. Indeed, out of the thousands of Israelis currently studying in Britain, only about 700 of them are doing so without European citizenship and paying full tuition.
UK flags for Bexit (Photo: AFP)
After the UK completes its departure from the EU, all non-UK citizens will likely be required to pay full tuition costs for their schooling, including any Israelis studying there. As the exit process is expected to take some time, most of those already enrolled in British universities should be able to complete their studies under the current tuition rates. The new decision will mainly affect anyone wishing to study there in the future.
Israelis residing in the United Kingdom using their European citizenship or work Visas are not expected to be immediately affected by the decision, and will be allowed to remain in the country. Despite the predictions however, no clear or official answers regarding their fate have been issued.