UK varsities face financial hardship due to visa restrictions
Universities have been expressing concerns about the potential financial impact, fearing that budget shortfalls could lead to the reduction of courses and even force some institutions to shut down
The restrictions on visas for international students are reportedly causing financial hardship for UK universities.
The development is said to have led to the calls for an increase in domestic tuition fees to offset the growing deficits.
The president of Universities UK (UUK), which represents 141 British higher education institutions, stated that all its universities have been “feeling the crunch” since the restrictions came into effect last year, per India Times.
“There is now a clear choice: we can allow our distinguished, globally competitive higher education system to slide into decline or we can act together,” said Sally Mapstone.
The total income of the British higher education sector in 2022-23 was just over £50 billion ($66 billion), most of it from tuition fees and grants, according to a House of Commons research paper.
International students usually pay higher tuition fees than domestic students, resulting in increased revenue for many educational institutions.
However, the previous government, led by Conservative ex-prime minister Rishi Sunak, imposed restrictions on overseas student visas, preventing many from bringing their families, as part of efforts to reduce immigration levels.
As a result, there were 30,000 fewer overseas student visa applications in the first four months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Universities have been expressing concerns about the potential financial impact, fearing that budget shortfalls could lead to the reduction of courses and even force some institutions to shut down.
During a UUK conference in Reading, west of London, Mapstone highlighted that the current deficit in the education sector is £1.7 billion for teaching and £5 billion for research.
She urged “in “investment and support” from the government to maintain world-class teaching and research.
Tuition fees paid by domestic students rose from £9,000 to £9,250 a year in 2017 but have been frozen since then, despite inflation.
The head of King’s College London, Shitij Kapur, said fees should now be between £12,000 and £13,000.
In a video broadcast at the UUK conference, the new Labour government’s Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson acknowledged that universities were facing “complex problems”.
“I can’t promise painless or immediate resolutions, but I do promise that these issues will get the attention and the commitment they deserve,” she said. …Continue Reading
