Costs deter study abroad, says British Council

A fee of Pounds 1,000 is likely to deter British students from spending a period of study abroad, the British Council has warned.

Such a change might create an even greater imbalance between the export and the import of students from Europe. This would have the opposite effect to that anticipated in the Dearing report, which suggested the fees might act as a financial deterrent to students flooding into Britain from the Continent.

"The British Council believes that this would be short-sighted and that the government should encourage more British students to study overseas, not only in the EU but also in Asia and Latin America to better-position the UK in the major trading blocs of the 21st century," says the British Council's response to the Dearing report.