UK’s Education Committee launches inquiry into international students
The inquiry committee will see if UK universities are achieving an appropriate balance between international and domestic students or not.
UK's Education Committee has decided to investigate study-abroad students in English universities to know if the universities are achieving an appropriate balance between international and domestic students.
“The UK is the third most popular destination for international students is a source of pride and a credit to the strength of our world-class universities. The contribution that those students bring is also hugely valued in our cities, industries and institutions. It boosts exports and strengthens UK soft power when students who have studied here return to their home countries with a positive experience of studying in the UK. However, England’s universities, including some of its elite institutions, are facing significant challenges, with a growing number finding themselves increasingly dependent on income from international students to balance the books,” said MP Robin Walker, chair of the Education Committee.
The committee will find if universities over-reliant on overseas students
There were some visa rule amendments introduced in January 2024, which are expected to reverse the growth trend witnessed over recent years. There are concerns that the sector has become over-reliant on overseas students. The changes introduced include restrictions on non-research students’ entitlement to bring dependants to the UK, and removing the possibility of switching to a work visa before completing studies, as reported by UK Parliament Committees.
Committee's main points of inquiry
The committee is also reviewing the system of graduate visas and a report on this will be submitted in May. The Committee is inviting written evidence submissions by 24 May 2024. Following are the key points on which the committee is inquiring - the effectiveness of the Government’s International Education Strategy launched in 2019, the expected impact on international student numbers of recent changes to student visa conditions and any proposed changes to the Graduate Route, what an appropriate balance between numbers of international and domestic students should look like and whether universities are currently achieving this balance.
Numbers and proportions of international students in English universities, including - impact on the availability of places for domestic students, the impact of international students on university funding, changes in numbers in recent years and the reasons behind these changes, and how proportions of international students differ between different courses, including breakdowns by subject and between undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
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