Fewer Norwegian students come to England: “I was shocked when I saw the price”.

In recent years there has been a change in international students that comes to the UK to study.

Numbers form HESTA, the “Higher education statistics agency” show that the numbers of international students in total have gone up, but the number of students from the EU has gone down. Two students that have felt the changes are Emilie Bjerkeng Røed and Dina Knutstad from Norway.

“I have heard by others that there used to be much more Norwegian students here, than it is now” says Dina.

Changes in politics and a pandemic can be seen to have affected students from coming to the UK. The UK went out of the European Union on the 1^st of January 2021. Which is where we can see the downhill on the graph for EU student.

From 2017/18 till 2021/22 has the numbers of EU students coming to the UK gone down 15,89 %, and in the same span of years has the amount of non-EU students gone up 71 %.

The British parliament wrote in a report this year that after Brexit the number of EU students applying to study in Great Britain fell 50 % in 2021/2022 because of the visa requirement and that applications from 2022/2023 fell further down with 24%. Which means that the universities will get less students from European countries.

Emilie said: “I was not expecting to pay for a visa when I came here to study”.

Numbers from the Statistic Norway show that in just one year from 2021 and 2022 that there is a different of 418 students less coming to study in the UK, and that in 2012 was it shown that it was 4510 Norwegian student in the UK studying and in 2022 the number where down to 2784 students. That means that it is 1726 fewer Norwegian students in the UK in 2022 than in 2012, which is a 38 % different.

Even though Norway is not part of the EU they still have the same rights as EU students as they are under an agreement called EEA. They then lost the right to study without a visa when Brexit happened. It is now a requirement that students from the EU or EEA must apply for a visa if they want to study here. They also must pay the international fee at the university as they no longer are eligible to pay the home tuition fee.

Changes in the loan

Changes has also happened for the Norwegian students for their student loan.

Before the school year of 2023/2024 students that where given school money (tuition fee) in addition to the normal student’s support loan would only pay 60 % back of the money they got for the school, now will they have to pay back 85 %.

“I feel it is very sad and negative that the government is cutting in the student loan, it makes it harder to take higher education outside of Norway,” said Dina.

This will increase the debt when they are finished studying. They are also getting more loans as they now must pay international fees as well, that also affects the debt the student has when they are finished studying.

Emilie said: “Living in England really affects one finances, other international students that I know tells me that are having a hard time because of tight economy, and Norwegian students that I talk to say that they do so less social activities because the economy limits them because they actually can’t afford it”

On the chart, the number of Norwegian students that study in the UK and get support has fallen, 28.54 % from 2018/19 to 2022/2023. ANSA the Association for Norwegian student’s abroad argued against the Norwegian government when the proposal of changes in the loan came, saying that “If the debt burden for Norwegian students abroad increases further, there will be fewer people who will have access to education abroad”. As they also commented that the dept of students have already risen with 235,000 Kroners in the last ten years, and that few students will take the full degree outside of Norway if it rises more. 

Expensive

It is expensive for the Norwegian students to come here and study, and it is also harder when you are given the wrong information. “I used an organisation that helps Norwegian students find and apply for universities in the UK”, says Emilie. She had always wanted to study in England from when she was young. There was just one problem, the organisation she used to help with apply to Oxford Brookes did not hold and inform her of the changes in pricing of the university and visa when she applied.   

Emilie said: “I was not expecting to pay for a visa, I was so shocked when I saw the price”.

The cost is around 25,000 Norwegian kroners for a three-year visa with the healthcare as part of your application,. This is money students do not get support from of the government and must finance themselves. Emilie is not alone with thinking it is expensive to study in Great Britain. Dina expresses that it takes a toll on her finances,

“Just the price on housing is extreme, especially since the quality of the houses is not up to the standers, even the University’s tuition and visa is so expensive, way too expensive” Dina comments.

International pays more

It is not unknown that international students pays more for their schooling here in the Great Britain than the English students. The British governments gave out a press release in 2023 where they explained that they do not have the same capped on tuition fees for international students as they have on home students. At brooks university for example will the avenge UK student pay around 9,250 pounds for one school year. As this is the maximum the University is allowed to take from the student by the British government.  For international students it is 15,200 – 17,200 pounds.

Emilie said “I did not know I was paying as an international student, so that was also a shock for me, I also felt that the university tried to push under the rug that they take more money from us. I also do not feel that the help we get from the university compensates for the sum that we pay”. What she means with the help is for how much serves and events they get from the university. “I do ask the question, what is it that I am paying for? to be honest I feel like I have been taken advanced of” she adds.

Not here for the school

Both girls share that they both wanted to study in England since they were younger. From them is this a way of experiencing new cultures and ways of living. “I had lived in the UK before so for me was it that I wanted to go back again, it is a great way to become better at writing and speaking English” says Dina. Emilie added “I came to experience the culture differently, I do not see the value in the school here, since it is free back home”. But doing a master’s is not in the cards, especially for Dina. She commented: “I do not think of taking a master here, first and foremost because of the price”.