If you were resident in the UK on or before 31 December 2020, then it is likely that you will qualify for a status under the EU Settlement Scheme and will not require a visa. If you were not resident in the UK on or before 31 December 2020, then you will need a visa to travel to the UK. For courses of more than 6 months, you will require a Student Visa. For courses of less than 6 months you will likely need a Visitor visa.

No, if you are entering the UK on or after 1 January 2021 and will be studying a course of 6 months or more, you must apply for and be granted your Student visa before you travel. If you will be studying a course of 6 months or less, you can request a Visitor visa on entry to the UK which will allow you to study a short course.

If you arrived in the UK on or before 31 December 2020, you should be considered resident in the UK and qualify for the EU Settlement Scheme. If you arrived in the UK on or before 31 December 2020 and were a registered student prior to 31 December 2020, you will be able to prove your residency with just a Student Status letter from the University.

No, you did not need to apply for pre-settled or settled status before 31 December 2020. As long as you were resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, you will be able to apply for pre-settled or settled status at any point before 30 June 2021. The University’s International Student Support Office can help you to make this application, detailed information is here: EU Settlement Scheme.

The application is made entirely online and is free. The trained immigration advisers in the University’s International Student Support Office can help you to prepare and submit your application. Detailed information is here: EU Settlement Scheme. Decisions are usually made within 1-2 months.

Your status under the EU Settlement Scheme is linked to your passport number and so you will need to update your status with your new passport number. Please note that currently you must send your passport away to do this. You may wish to consider applying for settled status after you receive your new passport.

If you are starting your course before 1 August 2021, you will still be eligible for the same fees and loans as UK students and will remain eligible for the duration of your course.

The eligibility rules for home fee status are changing for courses starting on or after 1 August 2021. Please refer to the UK Government website to see how this change affects you online.

Where EU students are not eligible for home fees, they will be required to pay international fees. Due to the Common Travel Area arrangement, Irish Nationals living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for home fee status and access to loans. EU nationals who have been granted settled or pre-settled status under the Withdrawal Agreement will also be eligible for home fee status subject to meeting ordinary residence requirements. Further eligibility criteria can be found online.

All other EU Students from 2021 Academic year onward will no longer be able to access UK Government student loans. This decision has been made by the government as part of the transition process of the UK leaving the EU.

At the University of Exeter we would like to reiterate that we truly value the diversity and positive engagement that our EU students bring to the University. We currently have over 1,300 EU students studying at the University and look forward to continuing to welcome students from across Europe and the world over the coming years. We know that this decision means that studying in the UK will be more difficult for some, so for entry into the 2021 academic year and beyond, EU students who pay international fees will also be eligible to apply to our Global Excellence Scholarships. There are a number of other scholarships that the University offers, and these, including eligibility and application process, can be found on our funding database.

On 26 December 2020, the UK government published a press release confirming that the UK will no longer be participating in the Erasmus+ programme.

We would like to take this opportunity to confirm our commitment to continued student exchange with our European partners. 

Students from our European partners will be welcomed and encouraged to complete their placements with us and we extend a warm invitation to European students encouraging them to choose Exeter as their study abroad destination.

Inbound students from the EU will no longer be eligible to receive an Erasmus+ grant for mobility in the UK.  Please check with your home institution for alternative scholarships or grants that may be available in your country.

EEA students entering the UK after 31 December 2020 will need a visa in the same way as any other non-UK national. Students on courses of more than 6 months (including two terms of study abroad), will need to apply for a Student visa in advance. Detailed information is here: Student visas. Students on courses of less than 6 months (including 1 semester study abroad programmes) can enter on a Visitor visa instead, which EEA nationals can apply for at the border. Detailed information including a comparison of the two visas is here: Visitor visas for Short-term study.  Nationals of the Republic of Ireland are not required to apply for visas to study in the UK.

Students entering the UK after 31 December 2020 will need to apply for a visa in the same way as any other non-UK national. More information about the two current student visas is available online: Tier 4 and Short Term Study.

No, your UK visa is not affected. Your ability to travel to other European countries with or without a visa is based on your country of nationality’s agreements with those European countries, not their agreement with the UK. If you require a Schengen visa to travel to Europe, for example, you will be able to apply for this in the same way as previously, through the European country’s diplomatic post in the UK. If you do not require a visa to travel to European countries, this will still be the case once the UK leaves the EU.