UK Urged to Heed Warnings on International Student Surge

Key Highlights:

1. The reports by the Social Market Foundation stress the need for sustainable university funding and balanced discourse on international students.
2. The reports argue that the UK government’s freezing of domestic fees has forced universities to rely heavily on international student fees.

Two complementary reports by the cross-party think tank Social Market Foundation, ‘Crazy for You’ and ‘Too Much of a Good Thing?’, emphasise the critical need for a balanced discourse on the reliance on international student fees in funding universities and public perceptions of international students.

“Without putting the higher education sector’s funding on a sustainable footing, efforts to address the pressures caused by the rapid increase in international UK student numbers risk doing more harm – to universities’ finances and the UK’s attractiveness as a destination for study – than good,” said Zeki Dolan, author of the ‘Too Much of a Good Thing?’ report. Dolan pointed out that the issue of over-reliance is not solely due to university financial decisions but is exacerbated by government policies, highlighted the UK international student news.

“Recent restrictions on international students migration have narrowly focused on reducing net migration. Plus, the government has not considered the wider implications of its actions. After pushing universities to become over-reliant on international student fees by freezing domestic fees, it has now pulled the rug from under the sector’s feet – with little direction on how it will compensate them in the future,” Dolan continued.

The ‘Crazy for You’ report highlights key takeaways from the government’s evolving policy on international students in the UK. It advocates for a sustainable approach to managing their growth. Jonathan Thomas, the report's author, emphasised the importance of addressing public concerns about the increase in UK student numbers.

“Wishing away these concerns risks missing a golden opportunity to address them,” Thomas stated, echoing sentiments from Dundee VC International Wendy Alexander at the IHEF conference in May. He added, “The shift away from policy presumption that attracting international students without limit is immune from any trade-offs and tensions is a good thing. It provides the UK with an opportunity to acknowledge and address these issues, rebuilding slipping public confidence and maintaining public consent to the UK’s continues openness to international students.”

The MAC Review, as highlighted in the report, addressed key misconceptions and pointed out the lack of data on graduate outcomes and the activities of dependents. “They are not treated as making any economic or fiscal contribution in the UK. Their contribution ca, therefore, conveniently be ignored – which would not be the case if the evidence of it had been collected. On this un-evidenced basis, policies restricting dependants is then less controversial and becomes easier to justify,” the report noted.

As per the UK international student news, the report also discussed the pressures on accommodation, which, although not as severe as in Canada and Australia, still need urgent attention. The ‘Too Much of a Good Thing?’ report recapped several well-known issues within the sector. It focused on the growth in student numbers driven by India and Nigeria, the stagnation of numbers from the EU and China, and the rising demand for one-year master’s degrees. Tim Bradshaw, Chief Executive of the Russell Group, recognised the UK’s status as a top global education destination and called for ‘more positive rhetoric’ from the government.

“Work is already underway by our universities to diversify student intakes to ensure overseas recruitment is sustainable,” Bradshaw emphasised. “It’s vital that this is supported by stability in government policy and more positive rhetoric around UK higher education so the UK remains a leading destination for students around the world.”

The report recommended limiting the increase in international UK student numbers, highlights the UK international student news. This is to ensure sustainable growth and advocate for increased teaching grants to compensate universities for the lost income from these students. “The government should commit to increasing the direct grant funding provided to universities to counteract the effect of the decline in the unit of resource for home students. At present, this amounts to around £1,150 per student. This grant should be increased such that it partially offsets the decline in the unit of resource for each home student since 2017,” the report explained.

Conclusion

Bradshaw also highlighted the importance of international fee income in maintaining the sector’s financial health. He expressed the Russell Group’s eagerness to collaborate with the next government after the election on July 4, 2024, to develop a fair funding model for students, universities, and taxpayers, highlighted the UK international student news.

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