UAE students heading to Britain worry about impact of Brexit
▶ Job prospects and placements in Europe are among their concerns
Students heading to the UK for tertiary-level education are concerned their British degrees will not hold the same value after Brexit.
Many UAE-based teenagers, who received their A-level results on Thursday, said they were anxious about job prospects after completing their studies because of the issue.
Others are worried about their eligibility to participate in exchange programmes in the European Union after Britain leaves the bloc on October 31. “Going to university is fine but getting a job after that is a concern,” said Charlie Thomas, 18, a British pupil in Dubai, who begin studying economics and politics at the University of Exeter this September.
“I am worried because many UK universities get funding from the European Union. If they do not have these links, the British universities will go down the rankings in the future,” said Mr Thomas, who plans to move back to the UAE or go to Canada after his studies. Some said they were concerned about reports of rising xenophobia in the UK. Ebani Dhawan, an Indian pupil, 18, at Jumeirah College, will start her psychology degree at University College London in September.
“The main thing I am worried about is the rise in xenophobia and how I will be treated as an international student.”
Ms Dhawan is also worried about her ability to participate in the EU’s Erasmus exchange programme, an initiative that allows undergraduates to study at European universities.
“I want to go to France and I hope Brexit does not affect the UK’s relations with the major EU countries,” she said.
Pupils across the UAE received their A-level results on Thursday with some saying they were the toughest exams in years.
There were tears of joy across the country as the results streamed through.
Education chiefs in the UAE say it is hard to quantify the impact of Brexit as so many questions remain unanswered.
“Brexit is having an impact but because we do not know the reality of it, it is not clear what is going on,” said Simon O’Connor, the principal of Jumeirah College in Dubai.
He said that about 65 per cent of pupils at the school pursue higher studies in the UK but many, including British teenagers, were also opting for universities in mainland Europe. “This is because European universities are opening up, teaching in English and also cost less than the UK universities,” Mr O’Connor said.
British people also say the situation is less than ideal.
Danielle Holt, a pupil at Jumeirah College planning to study at the University of Exeter, said it was important to take these concerns seriously.
“Brexit is a mess right now – younger people who will be massively affected by it need to be considered,” said Danielle, 17. “Especially EU students, who might not be able to get the same status or travel to the UK as easily as before.”
But it is not all bad news. Many students say they’ve been able to save on costly tuition fees because of the slump in the British pound.
Abdul Rahim Khater, 18, a Palestinian-Canadian pupil in Dubai, chose to study medicine in the UK regardless of Brexit.
“The plunge in the value of the pound means I can save on tuition,” he said.
Alejandro Kramer, a Spanish pupil at Jumeirah College, hopes to study history and politics at the University of Edinburgh.
“The political climate will not affect the validity of my degree,” said Mr Kramer, 18. “I will be studying in Scotland, which voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU and there are many European students in Scotland, so I am hoping the British government can come to a compromise.”