A number of English universities, including some in the Russell Group, have increased their recruitment of European Union students by more than 40 percent after the removal of controls on undergraduate places. The increases were part of a record 11 percent increase in E.U. numbers across the U.K. sector in 2015-16. Universities said the rise came after they chose to step up recruitment on the Continent and was aimed at increasing diversity in their intake. But funding for E.U. students, who are entitled to public-backed loans for tuition fees, has been criticized by British officials skeptical of the countries’ European ties. Continental graduates who return home are less likely to be repaying their loans than graduates who remain in Britain, an issue that could come to the surface again ahead of the forthcoming referendum on the U.K.’s E.U. membership.

February 4, 2016 ・ From Times Higher Education