One in five UK student loans goes to foreign nationals, mostly EU citizens

Of the roughly 239,000 foreign loan recipients, about 195,000 hold settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Some 160,941 held settled status outright and 34,879 were classed as EUSS migrant workers, with a further 24,344 eligible through indefinite leave to remain. Student loans are generally closed to overseas nationals, but an exemption remains for those with settled or pre-settled status. Non-EEA nationals now account for more than 20 per cent of new applications, with nearly 50,000 Indian nationals granted settled status through the scheme. “If we stop the flow of new EU settled status claims, the flow of EU student loans is likely to dry up too.”