Continental charm

But fears of a European exodus are overblown, writes Alison Goddard.

British pupils will be able to apply for places at European universities through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service under rule changes announced yesterday. The Guardian says that the move will put pressure on the government to extend tuition fee loans to English and Welsh students studying abroad. The BBC says that the universities would have to meet equivalent standards to those in the UK (though it does not say whether the Quality Assurance Agency would be involved). The Independent says that many courses on the continent are attractive because they are taught in English. The Daily Telegraph reports that 10 per cent of British students could be lured abroad by the plans. This is a crazy claim: that would be 50,000 full-time undergraduates. Even Maastrict University attracts fewer than 500 applications. Sigh.

Moreover it fails to explain the logic. The only reason why British pupils use the admissions service is because universities in the UK force them to do so—for the convenience of admissions tutors and strategic planners. If European universities continue to allow direct applications, it is difficult to see why British pupils would want to use one of their choices when they could make an additional application. We have an article, available only to full subscribers to HE. which reveals that the first European institution to join the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is a fashion college in Amsterdam that costs up to £11,500 a year and offers degrees accredited by Buckinghamshire New University.