A fresh batch of university students has descended on Worcester for the annual Welcome Week.

Thousands of new students have enrolled at the University of Worcester but there has been a notable drop in the number of new students arriving from the EU.

The drop comes as a result of both the changes to the tuition fee structure for EU students post-Brexit as well as uncertainty caused by Covid-19.

According to UCAS data, the number of EU students accepted onto undergraduate courses is 56 per cent lower than at the same time last year.

A spokesperson for the university said: “Our overall student number will be slightly lower than last year, with sadly a decline in EU students coming to study.

A University of Worcester spokesperson said: “The University is delighted to be welcoming around 3,000 new students this year, including over 400 Nursing students and over 500 teaching students.”

Read more about the drop in the number of EU students here.

Elsewhere in the country, universities such as Bristol and York have been unable to accommodate the sheer volume of new students.

Some Bristol University freshers have been given accommodation at local hotels while at York students have been housed 36 miles away, in Hull.

Asked whether the University of Worcester has experienced similar issues, the spokesperson said: “All students who requested it have been offered University accommodation and we have a small number of rooms still available.”

They also confirmed they have not been contacted by any other universities requesting to make use of Worcester's available facilities.