The government has confirmed that 16- to 19-year-old EU students in education or training will have their courses funded in the next academic year.

However, skills minister Anne Milton said she was not able at this stage to say what will happen after 2020 in response to a question from Labour’s shadow FE minister Gordon Marsden.

The UK is set to leave the EU on 29 March next year and Ms Milton said the government will not publish its funding guidance for the 2019-2020 academic year until next spring.

‘Urgent clarification’ needed

The government published its funding guidance for young people earlier this week, setting out its eligibility rules for the academic year ahead.

In response, the NUS students’ union vice president for higher education Amatey Doku said that the government’s funding guidance for 2018-19 left uncertainty for what would happen after. He said: “This announcement does not provide any kind of long-term commitment on the future of student mobility post-Brexit. What opportunities, if any, will be available to students after 2020?”

Mr Doku added: “The government needs to provide urgent clarification, lest students lose even more faith in this chaotic Brexit process.”