ABSTRACT
As the referendum votes rolled in on 23–24 June 2016, the commiserations of the European higher education and research sector for their British colleagues were unfeigned. The day after the referendum, the biggest stakeholder, the European University Association, spoke for many when it said that UK universities would always be part of the family. 1 It was a significant statement: the EUA represents many of the university community’s leaders across forty-seven countries, countries that between them have 4,000-plus institutions and some 19 million students. The university presidents who make up the body have since reiterated their commitment to working together to ensure that the long-standing research and exchange relationships among Europe’s universities, including the British, continue. 2 The European Students Union (ESU), representing 15 million students in forty-five national unions of students (NUS) in thirty-eight countries, declared itself in solidarity with UK students, fearing the decision would jeopardise all young people’s future. 3
