Higher education minister says Norwegians should study in countries other than Britain

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Norway’s government is advising its citizens against studying in the UK because of Brexit, in a warning that will fuel concerns from universities about falling enrolment from Europe.

In blunt comments, Iselin Nybø, Norway’s minister responsible for higher education, urged students to avoid British universities.

Speaking to state broadcaster NRK, she said: “There’s so much uncertainty because of Brexit. If you’re a student and plan to travel out of Norway to study this autumn, I recommend you look at other countries than Great Britain.”

Last week, the European commission set out measures to protect the Erasmus international study programme in the event of a no-deal Brexit. It said it would honour the overseas placements of UK and EU27 students who were abroad at the time of a no-deal exit.

But Nybø said there were still concerns about the future of Erasmus for Norwegians, as Norway is not a member of the EU. She said: “We’re hoping we can make sure Norwegian students can both obtain degrees and take part in foreign exchange programmes.”

The Norway-based News in English website reported her as saying that there were no guarantees that Norwegian students would be able to finish their studies or take exams.

Dag Rune Olsen, the rector of the University of Bergen, tweeted that Nybø’s concerns were realistic and were shared among his colleagues in the UK.

But Britain’s ambassador to Norway, Richard Wood, said Nybø’s remarks were unfounded.

He insisted that even if the UK left the EU without a deal, the UK would underwrite funding for Erasmus students and other exchange programmes. In a tweet, he said: “UK remains an attractive place for Norwegians to study. I hope it always will.”

Under Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement Norwegian residents in the UK and British residents in Norway will have the same rights after Brexit. But there are no such guarantees if there is a no-deal exit.

Last month, university leaders said a no-deal Brexit would constitute one of the biggest threats faced by the further education sector. At the same time, the Russell Group of universities revealed a 9% decrease in the number of EU postgraduate research students enrolling at its institutions this academic year, after a similar decline the year before.

Overall, the number of EU students who enrolled for the 2018-19 academic year at Russell Group universities fell by 3%. Last year, there was a 1% increase in overall EU student numbers, after years of steady growth.

An adviser in Nybø’s department, has since pointed out that she was directing her remarks to students going on exchange next autumn via the Erasmus programme.

She said: “The uncertainty associated with the Erasmus programme is great.”

On those studying for a full degree in the UK she said: “If someone wants to start on a degree programme now, that will probably work out fine, but there is still some uncertainty concerning how much bureaucracy it will entail.”

• This article was amended on 5 February 2019 to clarify that Iselin Nybø was discussing students going on exchange this coming autumn via the Erasmus programme.