In recent years, thousands of young Brits have chosen to study at European universities - to avoid tuition fees in the UK and gain international experience. Many now fear they may not be able to complete their courses after Brexit.
Anthony Hill and Emily Allwood are both British - but they’re studying at Maastricht university in the Netherlands, where many courses are taught in English.
They were hoping that would pave their way to international careers - but after the UK voted to leave the European Union, they are worried.
"When I first came to Maastricht, I thought I would go back to the UK, but studying abroad has really opened my eyes to the opportunities that exist, so I was planning an internship in Brussels, or a job in Berlin - and these are things that will become much more difficult after Brexit," Hill said.
"I definitely want to continue working and living in Europe - not necessarily in the Netherlands, not necessarily in the UK - but I do feel that my freedom to travel and work will be affected by it, so it’s hard to imagine that in three years I might not be able to move to Brussels or Berlin or Munich as easily as I could do now," Allwood said.
It will likely take years before Brits do find their freedom of movement in Europe restricted - but current and prospective students here are already concerned.
Here in Maastricht, British students pay just 2000 euros a year for their tuition - compared to more than five times that much back home. The students are now worried that once they’re no longer classified as European, they may be priced out of their courses.
There are also fears British university research will be hit by the loss of EU funding - and British students will be shut out from Europe’s Erasmus exchange programme.
"As an academic who benefited from all these opportunities myself as a student, I think it would be a huge loss. The loss of the chance to explore European cultures for a semester, to embrace what the continent has to offer, is a massive loss, and I really do hope that policymakers and decision makers in London will see this," Dr. Michael Geary, assistant prof. with Masstricht University, said.
More than 70 per cent of British voters under 25 voted to stay in the European Union - many now feel the plans they had for their futures have been taken away by voters of an older generation.
