Universities in the UK will have to work harder to promote the country as a friendly study destination after the referendum decision to leave the European Union last week, Ian Diamond, vice-chancellor and principal at The University of Aberdeen has said.
“We need to redouble our efforts,” Diamond told The PIE News. “We need to recognise that the result impacts on the reputation and vision people right across the world have of the UK that it’s not a friendly place to study.”
He went on to say, “It’s important that the government continues to get the message out across the world the UK remains a friendly place to study. It’s a competitive market for international students and we need our market standing to not be impacted.”
“It’s a competitive market for international students and we need our market standing to not be impacted”
European students account for 20% of undergraduate and graduate students at Aberdeen. When the results were announced the university was quick to act, said Diamond.
“We moved quickly to assure current students that they remain welcome, especially first year students,” he said.
Reaching out to students intending to arrive this autumn was also a priority on the day the results were announced. “We wrote to them personally to assure they would be warmly welcomed and told them they would have a great education and there would be no change to their fee status,” he said.
So far the government at Holyrood has not announced its plans for university funding for EU students. Currently, they can access the same no-fee scheme as Scottish students.
In the wake of the Brexit uncertainty, the Student Loans Company in England confirmed its plans to honour all funding for the duration of study for current and this year’s incoming EU students. Diamond said he is confident the Scottish government will follow England’s lead.
“If not, we’re prepared to underwrite our promise,” he said. Time frames are difficult to know at this point but Diamond expects funding schemes for incoming classes over the next three years will go untouched.
Maintaining the confidence of the university’s EU staff is also of prime concern. “We have told them we will do everything in our power to help them overcome any changes. They are absolutely critical members of our family. We will be watching Holyrood and Westminster carefully,” said Diamond.
He added that the university will lobby to retain the ability to employ EU academic staff. “It’s essential for the future of higher education that we are able to recruit the best talent.”
Looking to the long-game, Diamond said the university will be fighting to maintain access to EU research funding and Horizon 2020 grants.
Scotland voted 62% to 38% to remain in the EU and its government has since suggested that a second referendum to decide its independence from the UK could be nigh.
Diamond said he is focused on damage control after the most recent referendum at the moment. “We’re currently in a fluid situation. I think the first minister has said all the right things but we should cross the bridge of a second [Scottish independence] referendum when we come to it.”
