The United Kingdom is rapidly losing its appeal for Romanian students. In just three academic years, the number of Romanians enrolled at UK universities has collapsed by 73%, from 8,915 in 2021-2022 to 2,435 in 2024-2025, Study in UK data shows.
Education experts point to a perfect storm: the loss of EU “home-fee” status after Brexit, much higher tuition for EU nationals, restricted access to UK student loans, rising visa and living costs, and aggressive competition from more affordable EU destinations.
The loss of home-fee status means most Romanian undergraduates now face international tuition levels, often three to four times higher than what previous cohorts paid. On top of that, they have limited or no access to UK student finance, must budget for visa fees and health surcharges, and confront some of Europe’s steepest housing and living costs.
Oxford and Cambridge no longer a magnet
The retreat is visible even at the UK’s most prestigious institutions. At University of Oxford Romanian enrollment fell from 160 students in 2021-2022 to 55 in 2024-2025, a 65.6% collapse. At University of Cambridge numbers slipped from 85 to 55 over the same period, a 35.3% decline.
Both universities now host the same number of Romanian students, but the shock has been far harsher at Oxford, which has lost more than two-thirds of its Romanian cohort in just three years.
Winners elsewhere in Europe
As the UK becomes less accessible, other European systems, particularly in the EU, have stepped into the gap. Public universities on the continent often charge low or even zero tuition for EU citizens, with English-taught programs expanding rapidly in fields like business, engineering, IT, and health sciences.
For Romanian students, this means lower tuition and living costs overall, easier access to local or EU-level scholarships and grants, and no need for visas or post-Brexit immigration formalities inside the European Union.
Where Romanians still choose to study in the UK
Despite the steep decline, the UK has not disappeared from Romanian students’ maps altogether. The 2,435 students who did enroll in 2024-2025 are spread across a mix of modern teaching-focused universities and elite institutions.
The top five universities by Romanian enrollment in 2024–2025 are Bath Spa University, Buckinghamshire New University, University of Bedfordshire, University of Suffolk, and University College London (UCL).
