A NEW scholarship is being offered by a Scottish University to mitigate the impact of Brexit.
The University of Aberdeen has announced that for the academic year of 2021/22 EU students will be eligible for a scholarship of up to £8,000 a year.
The new scholarship brings the students’ fees in line with those based in the rest of the UK.
Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, EU students will no longer have ‘home fee status’ in the UK.
In Scotland, this status previously meant that for undergraduate students their tuition fees were paid by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).
The University’s new scholarships will bring EU students’ fees broadly into line with fees for students based in England, Wales or Northern Ireland who choose to study in Aberdeen, and are being introduced on a transitional basis to help to mitigate this impact of Brexit on their opportunity to study with us.
The EU Scholarships will therefore be open to all eligible EU students applying for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in September 2021 and January 2022, for the duration of their studies.
Professor George Boyne, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, said: “The announcement of these new scholarships specifically for EU students is testament to how dearly we hold our long-forged connections with the rest of the continent, and our deep appreciation of the rich cultural diversity that EU students contribute to our community.
“When it was founded in 1495, the University looked to Europe for its inspiration. Today around a quarter of our undergraduate students and academics come from the European Union, and we are proud to have one of the highest proportions of EU students in our undergraduate population of any university in the UK.
This investment from the University reconfirms its commitment to its long-established links with its European student community.
Currently, 27% of the University’s home fee status undergraduate students are from the EU – making the institution one of the UK’s top five recruiters of EU undergraduate students. In addition, more than 700 members of University staff are from EU countries.
Professor Boyne added:“Regardless of the outcome of Brexit, our international outlook will remain as strong as ever.
“The University has always looked outwards to the world, and we remain committed to building global partnerships and welcoming international students and staff as valuable members of our community.”
The scholarships are available to all eligible EU undergraduate and postgraduate taught Masters students beginning their studies in Sept 2021 and January 2022.
EU students beginning their studies before July 2021 will still be considered ‘home fee status’ students.
