APPLICATIONS from Cyprus to British universities have increased during the last year, especially since Cyprus’ recent accession into the European Union but some still predict tougher times ahead for Cypriot students.
Despite the fact that no specific numbers have been released, applications for universities in the United Kingdom are understood to have risen dramatically after Cypriots became eligible for much reduced EU tuition fees.
Rachel Roberts of the British Council in Nicosia told the Cyprus Mail: “We have been seeing a steady increase in the number of both Greek and Turkish Cypriot students going abroad to study. In the year 2002-03 we had 3,775 students go abroad, which resulted in a three per cent increase from the previous year. Although we do not have the numbers as yet for last year or this year we do know that they have increased, especially this year after Cyprus’ accession to the EU.”
Cypriot families now do not have the daunting task of paying high tuition fees to send their children abroad. For a Bachelor of Arts degrees, for example, the annual tuition fee of £6,000 has now dropped to £1,150.
However, the good news regarding tuition fees has been dampened by the fact that competition for Cypriot students to get into universities in the UK will become stiffer since applications will be submitted on the same basis as local students from the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the European Union.
Talking from the UK, the Vice-President of the National Federation of Cypriot Students in the UK (EFEK UK), Giorgos Charalambous, told the Cyprus Mail of the benefits and hardships that could face many Cypriot students.
“Now that we are in the EU there is a reduction in tuition fees, which is good because the previous fees have always been a burden for a lot of families because they were so high.
“Until now, most Cypriot students in the United Kingdom were from upper to middle class families but we can now see opportunities for students, who are maybe from a lower-income family, (who will) have the opportunity to study in the United Kingdom instead of having to select less expensive locations to study in such as Greece, Bulgaria, Russia and the Czech Republic for example.”
Charalambous also explained how the fee reduction could have a negative impact on Cypriot students: “The competition for Cypriot students to get into universities in the United Kingdom, however, will now become more difficult because many universities used to prefer having Cypriot students because they paid a lot more in fees. Now, however, we could very possibly see the universities not being so lenient with their submissions towards Cypriots because of the fee reductions.”
The British Council is currently offering a paid service for educational counselling regarding courses in the United Kingdom whilst they are also offering assistance with UCAS issues. Telephone number: 22-585000.
