Targeting international students won’t save Britain’s crumbling university system

The UK government is placing more restrictions on foreign students, causing dismay among university staff and administrators
Making it more difficult to study in the UK is self-defeating and will only harm British universities that are already struggling

Kavitha Rao

Published: 3:30am, 12 Jun 2023

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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak came to power on a rash promise to cut immigration. Unfortunately for him, immigration has reached record levels this year, causing deep outrage among his Conservative Party. A desperate Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman have now decided to target international students – the cash cows for many British universities – but their hasty moves will hurt British students more than anyone.

On May 23, Braverman announced new limits on overseas students bringing family to the UK. Only those on research programmes, such as PhD students or research-led masters courses, will be able to bring in dependents.

Many international students were drawn to the UK because of its two-year post-study work visa, available to anyone who studies in the UK. Earlier this year, though, Braverman proposed scrapping the visa and reducing the time to six months. Last year, Sunak said there would be a crackdown on international students studying “low-quality” degrees without saying which degrees this would cover.

Braverman’s announcement has caused dismay in British universities, which are still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. They say it will affect students from certain countries and make universities less attractive to international students.

International students propel British universities. British student fees have been frozen at £9,250 (US$11,500) for years, and have failed to keep up with rampant inflation. International students pay around double that on average.

For years, universities have exploited international students to pay for local students and failed to invest in other methods of funding. Now, university vice-chancellors say the UK higher education system is “broken” because of its heavy reliance on international students.

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In 2021-22, Chinese students made up about one-fifth of international students in the UK, followed by Indian students. The student body at University College London, a top London university currently ranked eighth in the world, is about half international, with one in four students being Chinese.

Meanwhile, the staff of nearly 150 universities are on strike and refusing to mark papers, saying they can no longer live on the low academic wages amid a cost-of-living crisis. In response, some universities are deducting 100 per cent of the pay of striking staff.

Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union said, “The university sector in the UK has over £40 billion sitting in reserves, but instead of using that vast wealth to deliver a cost-of-living pay rise and reverse devastating pension cuts, university vice-chancellors would rather force staff to take strike action and see campuses shut down.”

Cambridge University, among others, has said students might not graduate this year because of marking boycotts. Students have been told to carry on as normal, but the visas of international students who do not graduate in time could be in jeopardy.

There has also been a backlash among some British parents who believe universities are favouring international students over local ones. Allison Pearson, a conservative columnist in The Daily Telegraph, recently claimed hard work does not pay any more for British students and called for places for foreign students to be capped at 10 per cent. “Make no mistake, they are being allowed to buy the science, maths and engineering places that are our most brilliant children’s birthright,” she wrote.

Teachers march during joint strike action with train drivers, university staff and civil servants in London on February 1. Photo: Bloomberg

Of course, this is deeply misguided. International students already have to overcome huge barriers. To begin with, grade requirements are not lowered for international students, who must show the same academic achievement as locals. Before even being allowed into the UK, international students must demonstrate they have enough money for an entire year, plus living expenses.

This means you must show an income of £1,334 per month in London and £1,023 outside the capital, in addition to visa fees of £410. All international students also pay an NHS surcharge – currently £470 per year – before even setting foot in the UK.

I have a child studying as an international student at a British university which has been affected by the pandemic and strikes. She has received little face-to-face teaching, her papers have been unmarked for months and her recent exam papers could continue to be unmarked, affecting her graduation.

Her teachers complain constantly about having 100 per cent of their pay deducted and living hand to mouth. International students make up 26 per cent of her university. In effect, they subsidise the rest.

UK universities should welcome Chinese students, not seek to close the door

A similarly clumsy attempt by the Tories at cutting immigration failed when then-home secretary Theresa May abolished the post study work visa in 2012. There was a dramatic fall in international student numbers, and the visas were hastily revived to keep British universities competitive.

But the Department for Education (DFE) has apparently intervened. The Telegraph reports that Braverman’s plans to crack down on foreign students have been “watered down” over fears they would increase tuition fees for British students. A DFE source is quoted as saying, “Where do you think the money comes to subsidise these tuition fees? It’s from the international students.”

International students should not be considered migrants. Rather, they are talent – specifically, talent that pays its way. As it is, many foreign students are uneasy staying in a country where they feel unwelcome and universities are a shambles.

Braverman is likely to keep targeting international students. Meanwhile, if British universities fail to fix their economic model, foreign students will simply go elsewhere, such as the US, Canada or Australia. Their talent – and money – will go with them.

Kavitha Rao is a London-based journalist and author who writes on culture, the arts, the environment, books and society