Brexit: fewer European students in British universities, what consequences?

The UK, even in the education sector, tries to live without the European Union. While applications from EU students to enter UK universities have been flat since 2016, applications from non-EU students to enter UK universities have decreased in the same time.

A result that can be read in two ways:

1) Negative. The decreasing presence of EU students in the UK will have a negative impact on the diversity of cultures and languages and skills of students from the 27 EU countries.

2) Positive. The increasing presence of non-EU students will have a positive impact on the diversity of cultures, languages and skills of students from 169 non-EU countries.

After all, the demographic and economic importance of the EU is likely to diminish. Perhaps the British are right to focus on the rest of the world, which is bigger.