The Impact of Brexit on Recruiting Students

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:36 pm on 6 November 2018.

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Photo of Mohammad Asghar Mohammad Asghar Conservative 1:36, 6 November 2018

Official figures show that Welsh universities saw the biggest drop in the United Kingdom in the number of applicants from the European Union between 2017 and 2018. Applications from EU students fell by 10 per cent in Wales, compared to a 2 per cent increase in England and a 3 per cent increase in Northern Ireland. Given that Brexit will affect the whole of the United Kingdom, why is it that Welsh universities have performed so badly in attracting students from EU countries compared to England and Northern Ireland? And, First Minister, what is your Government doing to reverse this trend in Wales, because this is a devolved area?