The Effects on the Perception of Non-Uk Students on Studying in the Uk After Brexit

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Title of Award

MSc International Business

Date

5th May 2017

SID Number

1114577

Name of Supervisor

DR. NICK DRYDASKI

Title of Dissertation

The effects on the perception of Non-UK students on studying in the UK after Brexit.

Word Count

13,103

DECLARATION:  I declare that the above work is my own and that the material contained herein has not been substantially used in any other submission for an academic award.

Signed:        CASSENDRAH CARMEL ALEXANDER                Date: 5/05/2017

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my father for giving me this opportunity to complete my masters and always pushing me to be my best self.

I would also like to thank my colleagues at Cambridge Ruskin International College (NAVITAS) for guiding and supporting me through my dissertation.

I would like to thank my friends for the support for sharing my survey and motivating me through this process.

Finally I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Nick Drydaski for taking his time to advise and guide me on this dissertation positively.

1. Contents

1.0        Introduction        4

1.1 Background        4

1.2 Research aims and Objectives        5

1.3 Organisation of Research        6

1.4 Significance of this Research        6

2.0 Literature Review        7

2.1 Britain Exits the European Union        7

2.2 Defining the European Union        8

2.3 Why Did Britain Vote To Leave        11

2.4 How Has the UK Controlled Immigration So Far?        12

2.5 Current Trends On How Brexit Is Affecting Higher Education.        16

2.6 International Students Vs European Students        17

2.7 Students as Customers: Understanding the Student Decision Making Process.        18

3.0 Research Methodology        22

3.1 Introduction        22

3.2 Research Philosophy        23

3.3 Research Approach        24

3.4 Research Design        25

3.5 Data Collection Tool        27

3.6 Primary Research – Survey Structure        28

3.7 Sampling Technique and Method        29

3.8 Research Ethics        31

3.9 Research Limitations        32

3.9a) Limitations on using surveys        32

3.9b) Limitation of Convenience Sampling        33

3.9c) Disadvantages of Snowball Sampling        33

4.0 Data Analysis and Discussion        34

4.1 Introduction        34

4.2        Data Analysis and Findings        35

1. Introduction

This dissertation was set out to explore and understand the effects of perception of Non-UK EU students on their choice of choosing the UK to pursue their higher education after the Brexit referendum. The use of up to date and reliable sources allowed a good collection of data that was present and useful. As Brexit is a recent event, there was very little information on what was going to happen however statistics on the ever changing UK post Brexit, the trigger of Article 50 and how people are reacting to this has been recorded and made available to the public. This study was aimed at understanding both the possible outcomes of Brexit and understanding the decision making process of students when choosing a university.

1.1 Background

Since the UK voted out from the European Union and Article 50 triggered to begin the formal process of leaving the union by the mid to end of 2019. It is interesting to see what will happen to the 120,000 EU students in the UK as of 2014-15 and 6.4% of full time undergraduate and postgraduate being non-UK EU nationals, the effects of possibly implementing the same regulations as International students (Tier 4 regulations) and EU students not being able to access schemes such as student finance and being able to work and settle in the UK with no restrictions (Minsky, 2016). According to a recent Hobson’s survey, the majority of EU students (82 percent) consider the UK less appealing for study after the Brexit vote and this is an important factor to consider as to how this will affect the appeal or reputation of studying a degree in one of the most renowned countries to study in (Corbett, 2015).

With Britain leaving the European Union this leaves students in the UK and EU countries restless of not knowing what the following decisions will be made in terms of funding in the higher education sector. The topic on looking at the perception and possible effects of what Brexit will mean for education, research and most importantly students and the higher education institutions. As the issue is current and ongoing there is very little research on the topic and is merely based on debate, assumptions lacking any studies that can provide actual data that looks at the views of the people involved.

1.2 Research Aims and Objectives

The following will hope to look at the following research questions shedding light on how Brexit could affect such a crucial and important factor that will impact the economy and higher education institutions.

Research Questions

1. What are EU student’s perspective of choosing and studying in a UK higher after the Brexit referendum was passed.
2. If the same regulations are applied to EU students as International students, how will this affect universities in the UK in terms of recruiting EU students.
3. How are European and Non-European universities benefitting from the Brexit referendum?
4. How can UK Universities market their institutions in a way they will still attract EU students if the point based system is implemented.

1.3 Organisation of Research

By looking at the possible outcomes of all Non-UK EU students having to comply to Tier 4 visa regulations which are currently implemented on International students. To gain critical and interesting feedback a collection of quantitative and qualitative data on how students felt about the current situation was carried out in the form of survey. Using a mixed method approach this enabled an open feedback of not only gaining statistics and figures but opinions on how students feel on this current matter.