For a generation of young Europeans London was the natural destination for learning English, gaining work experience or graduating from a prestigious university while paying the same fees as British students. Brexit has changed this picture profoundly. Studying and working in the UK is still possible today, but it costs more and requires visas and planning. Here is what to know in 2026.
Short language courses
The good news: for short English courses an ETA is enough. As a visitor you can study for up to six months at an accredited school or institution, without a visa. For longer language courses there is the Short-term study visa, valid for up to eleven months, which does not allow you to work. London, Cambridge, Oxford, Brighton, Bristol and Edinburgh remain among the most popular choices. See our page on English courses in London.
University: fees and visas
Since 2021 EU students without resident status pay international fees, which in England generally range from about £15,000 to over £40,000 a year depending on the course (medicine and MBAs are the most expensive), compared with a cap of about £9,500 for British students. They also need a student visa, which since April 2026 has cost £558, and the health surcharge of £776 for each year of study, as well as proof of sufficient funds to support themselves. International students can no longer bring family members, except on research doctorates.
The result has been a collapse in European enrolments: first-year students from the EU have more than halved compared with before Brexit, while numbers from India, China and Nigeria have grown. In Scotland, where local students pay no fees, Europeans went from studying free to paying.
The return of Erasmus
In 2021 the UK left Erasmus+, replacing it with a national programme, the Turing Scheme, which funded only outgoing British students. In December 2025 London and Brussels announced the UK's return and in April 2026 the agreement was signed: from 2027 students at European universities will again be able to spend a semester or a year at a British university while paying their home university's fees, as before Brexit.
Working: the points-based system
To work you need an offer from a licensed employer (licensed sponsor) and a visa. Since July 2025 the Skilled Worker visa has required a job at graduate level and a minimum salary of £41,700 a year, with lower thresholds for under-26s, some shortage occupations and PhD holders. The visa fee (£943 for permission of up to three years, applying in-country) and the health surcharge of £1,035 a year are paid by the worker unless the employer agrees otherwise. After graduating from a British university, the Graduate visa allows you to stay and work without a sponsor, but the government has decided to cut its length from two years to eighteen months.
The youth scheme
The big change everyone is waiting for is the youth mobility scheme between the UK and the EU, which London calls the Youth Experience Scheme. The idea, similar to the working holiday visas that already exist with Australia, Canada and New Zealand, is to allow young people aged roughly 18 to 30 to live, work and study in the country for a limited period, with an agreed cap on numbers. The details (age, duration, number of places, university fees) are the subject of negotiations the two governments aim to close at the November 2026 summit.
Seasonal jobs and au pairs
There is a specific visa for seasonal farm work, but it is limited in number and managed by licensed agencies. Au pair placements and informal jobs in hospitality, once the first step for so many young Europeans in London, are no longer possible without the right visa: working on an ETA alone is illegal. For a full picture see working in the UK, schools and universities and the Brexit special.