Could lower UK university fees bring Cypriot students back?

The UK government is reportedly considering allowing European Union students to pay the same university tuition fees as British students, a move that could make studying in the country more affordable for Cypriots and help reverse the sharp decline in enrolments since Brexit. The proposal, reported on November 1, forms part of wider negotiations to rebuild relations between London and Brussels, with the British government prepared to spend up to £450 million a year compensating universities for the income they could lose from lower fees. For Cypriot students, the potential change could be significant, as the cost of studying in Britain has risen substantially since the UK left the EU and ended the preferential fee arrangements previously available to European students.

Before Brexit, the UK was one of the most popular destinations for Cypriots pursuing higher education, largely because of historical and linguistic ties. However, the number of Cypriot students enrolled at British universities fell by almost half after the UK’s departure from the bloc. There were 9,730 Cypriot students enrolled in the 2017-2018 academic year, compared with 4,780 in February 2025 , according to figures cited by the British Council. More recent figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency showed that the number of students with a permanent address in Cyprus had fallen to just over 3,000 in the 2024-2025 academic year, according to a Cyprus Mail report published in March. The different figures reflect separate reporting measures, but both point to the scale of the decline. Under the proposed arrangement, EU students would be able to pay home tuition fees rather than the higher international rates currently charged to most applicants from the bloc. In England, annual fees for British…