Waheed Afzal’s Post

On international students and higher education. So, Australia has set caps on the number of international students admitted to universities, limiting universities' ability to generate revenue from tuition. This represents a challenge to the revenue model of many Australian universities, which depend on international students to make ends meet. It will be interesting to see how this shift affects Australian universities and student enrollment patterns in the UK, Europe, and the United States. It will also be interesting to see how this shift affects international academic labor markets, as Australia has absorbed many Ph. D.s from American and European universities. Be it Australia, the UK, or the United States, the real crisis here is not in how we manage international student enrollments; its national governments stepping back from properly funding higher education. Precipitous drops in funding have had bullwhip effects on the pricing of education, the transition of non-profits into functionally for profit revenue models, and competition around rankings (which prioritize publication over education). The funding crisis for higher education can't continue - the global higher education system is breaking. We all need to focus on demanding that governments invest in educating young people, such that they can secure the education they need, to have fulfilling work lives. #academiclife #highereducation

Are international students really harming the UK higher education system? The Tories seem to think so. James Cleverly ordered a report from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to see if the graduate route is being "abused" by those using study visas as a backdoor to immigration. Unsurprisingly the MAC report didn’t align with their “tough-on-borders” narrative. It found no evidence of abuse in allowing graduates to work for two to three years post-study. Senior business leaders have also spoken out in favour of welcoming international students to the UK. It’s quite clear that the Tories’ agenda isn’t about safeguarding the UK but self-preservation. In the wake of  Brexit, the UK desperately needs international students. Fresh data shows these students poured a whopping £41.9 billion into the UK economy in the 2021/22 academic year  (https://lnkd.in/ev9hGvJ5). International students don’t just boost our economy and support our underfunded Universities; they enrich our culture and society and build the UK's global reputation. We should celebrate that our universities draw talent from all corners of the globe. The UK must stay an open, welcoming destination for international students, recognising and valuing their contributions. The Tories’ actions reveal a blatant disregard for the UK’s political integrity, prioritising party survival over national interest. We need a political landscape that’s serious and people-focused, not driven by narrow party agendas. #students #international #education #highereducation #immigration #migration #policy #government #conservative #party #interest #economy #funds #labour #agendas #university

A decline in international enrolment could mean declining revenues for colleges and universities, and those international students who are enrolled might have to pay even more for their education to cover the shortfalls because their tuition fees are not regulated. Students said real solution is to properly fund postsecondary education, so the system doesn't have to rely on international tuition revenues. The 3 provinces likely to be sanctioned under this said plan: Just over half of international students destined for Ontario; British Columbia 20 per cent; and Nova Scotia, 3 per cent. #InternationalStudents #Canada #Caps #restrictions https://lnkd.in/grvHJGZT

It’s looking pretty bleak financially now for the majority of UK #highereducation institutions! How on earth did we get here? After the UK emerged from the global #pandemic pretty much unscathed & then had three years of record international #studentrecruitment! There is a solution to meet the sector’s funding needs & providing increased support & improved #graduateoutcomes, but this is only possible if UK universities invest in international futures & understanding the graduate destinations of their international graduates returning home into successful careers following their studies. “A #university's finances have been hit by a 40% drop in #internationalstudents following a tightening of restrictions, its vice-chancellor said. David Maguire of the Norwich-based University of East Anglia, said many colleges were being put in "serious financial difficulty" by the loss of #overseasstudents. At the beginning of the year the government tightened restrictions on international students, meaning they could no longer bring family members to the UK. The government said university #admissions should not be used "as a gateway to #immigration". Maguire, said overseas students were crucial. He said the present restrictions on families of #internationalstudents coming to the country had already had a "huge" impact on the number of students coming to the UEA. “Our applications for international students are down 40%," he told BBC Politics East. "My number one concern is how do we deal with a potential downturn in international students fees & what can we do to either supplement our income or reduce our cost base to accommodate that." #Tuition fees for UK #undergraduates have been capped at £9,250. #Students from overseas pay an average of £22,000. Mr Maguire said if the fees had kept pace with #inflation universities would now be charging students £14,000 in tuition fees. "The government could address that with further core funding for #universities. If prices are kept down the quality of #education suffers." He said many universities were in "difficulty". "A recent report from the Office for Students clearly shows as many as 40% of all the universities in the country could be in serious financial difficulty within the next two to three years absent of any further funding of universities," he said. "It's pretty serious." He said it was "possible" that some universities could go bust.” Asia Careers Group SDN BHD - Investing in International Futures AGCAS British Council BUILA Department for Business and Trade Department for Education Higher Education Policy Institute Institute of Student Employers UCAS UKCISA Universities Scotland Universities UK Universities UK International

The shame of Britain’s ‘cash for courses’ universities 👇 ‘‘If you can take the lift, why go through the hardest route?’ a recruitment officer representing four Russell Group universities asked an undercover reporter for the Sunday Times. He boasted that ‘foundation’ course pathways onto undergraduate courses at Russell Group universities are much easier than the entry requirements for British applicants: overseas applicants ‘pay more money […] so they give leeway for international students […] It’s not something they want to tell you, but it’s the truth.’ ‘And how. The paper reports that ‘overseas students wishing to study an economics degree using one of the pathways needed grades of CCC at Bristol; CCD at Durham; DDE at Exeter; DDE at Newcastle; and just a single D at Leeds. Yet the same universities’ A-level entry requirements for UK students is A*AA or AAA.’ Odd, isn’t it, when we’re making such a noise about immigration policy favouring only the cream of international talent that we seem to be applying the opposite metric when it comes to university admissions. I don’t think it makes you a little Englander to find it perverse that it’s much harder for British than foreign students to get a place in a British university. ‘These universities have been quick to pooh-pooh the Sunday Times’s reporting – which, as Mandy Rice-Davies might have said, ‘they would, wouldn’t they?’ They say that it can’t possibly be the case that foreign students are ‘squeezing out’ domestic applicants because, look, domestic admissions to Russell Group universities are at a record high and foreign applications have slumped. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re right about this. I would be surprised, though, if that trend was privately regarded by the average vice-chancellor with anything but horror. There’s a reason they spend millions pimping themselves abroad.’ ✍️ Sam Leith https://lnkd.in/eDX8j_HR

With international education contributing $8.6 billion to universities in 2022, which is more than a quarter of all revenue – the government’s proposed student cap is generating real concerns about job losses, reduced research funding, and potential damage to our international reputation. The government aims to reduce net overseas migration to pre-pandemic levels and has been inspired by similar policies in Canada and the UK. With current international student numbers at record levels – the Senate’s report expected in mid-August could have far reaching consequences in Australia’s current migration, housing, and economic policies. #internationalstudents #studenthousing #studentexperience

'Declining international student enrolment sparks financial woes for UK universities.' England's universities are on the verge of losing their international competitiveness while UK nationals undergoing a first degree are being asked to pay increased tuition in line with inflation! England's universities have no choice but to ask the government to raise the tuition fees for local students due to a shortfall in the universities' revenue from a steady decline in international students since Brexit! I guess you cannot have it both ways, you cannot prioritize reducing international students numbers for immigration control purposes and still expect to generate the same level of revenue from international students! We cannot "have our cake and eat it too"! Oh, and did you know that prior to Brexit, British students could undergo a Masters degree in Europe free of charge! Well, not anymore! "As universities prepare to welcome a new cohort of students, a new report by London Economics has revealed that higher education makes a £116 billion contribution to the UK economy - £130 billion including the spending of international students."' #brexit #BrexitShambles #BrexitBrokeBritain #BrexitReality #BrexitHasFailed #BrexitBritain

While the rapid review by the Quality Assurance Agency found no systemic issues with the #pathway programmes into British #highereducation for international students who need an extra helping hand, those raising the point about equity for UK #students narrowly missing the grades to get into top universities do have a point. But until British #universities can avoid having to rely on more lucrative overseas student tuition fees to survive, the international foundation and international year one programmes are playing an important role in attracting overseas students to these shores. Personally, I could never see what the fuss about the extra year international foundation programmes was all about. My daughter did something similar, through an #Access course, when she returned to study after decades away to get into university. Mind, she then had to go on to Year One of the degree. The #SundayTimes and others should, perhaps, have focused on just international year one (IYO) programmes. These allow foreign students without the normal entry grades to go straight onto Year Two of an undergraduate degree if they successfully complete specially-designed one-year long courses (which include extra help and developing English-language skills).   That’s only available for high fee-paying international students – a point made by Alan Preece in my report on the #QAA findings for University World News. But I am not sure what the solution is! https://lnkd.in/eURWzYiG Ruth Arnold Brooke Storer-Church Vivienne Stern Tim Bradshaw Professor Elena Rodríguez Falcón FREng PFHEA FIET FCMI Andy Howells Vincenzo Raimo Rt Hon Robert Halfon Janet B. Ilieva Dr Vicky Lewis Eve Alcock Sunday Times University World News The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education

“#Internationalstudents are pulling out of university courses because of an “unfavourable atmosphere” created by ministers. Prof David Latchman, vice-chancellor of the Birkbeck, University of London saw a 10% drop in international students starting in October. It came after Rishi Sunak announced in May there would be a crackdown on overseas students bringing family members to the UK as part of a push to bring down legal migration. He pledged to close loopholes as he cited the “staggering” eight-fold rise in the number of dependants brought into the UK by foreign students, up from 16,000 to 135,788 since 2019. Prof Latchman said: “This has occurred across the sector – I attribute this to the generally unfavourable atmosphere created for international students by the various announcements even though the ban on dependants did not actually begin until January 2024. From January 2024, all foreign students except those doing postgraduate research will be barred from bringing family members to the UK. UK universities fear they could face financial peril if visa restrictions put off overseas students because many institutions have targeted international students to boost their income in recent years. There is no cap on international student fees, whereas tuition fees for British students have been frozen at £9,250 in England since 2017. Prof Latchman said “I think there’s a total failure to understand that you can’t have a “business” where you have two products – over here, you can’t charge more than this [please recruit/sell more], & over there you can charge more [for international students but must recruit/sell less!].” He added: “We can’t carry on like this.” Voluntary redundancies Birkbeck has made about 70 voluntary redundancies in an attempt to shore up its finances. Others including University of Kent & University of East Anglia, have also launched voluntary redundancy schemes amid funding pressures. A government spokesman said: “The UK is a top destination for the brightest students to learn at some of the world’s best universities. But we have seen an unprecedented rise in the number of student dependants being brought into the country. “The Government will work with #universities to design an alternative approach, in order to continue to attract the brightest & the best to the UK, & so #postgraduate taught students can bring dependants to the UK’s world-leading universities, while continuing to reduce net migration.” Asia Careers Group SDN BHD - Investing in International Futures AGCAS British Council BUILA Department for Business and Trade Department for Education Jisc Office for Students UCAS UKCISA Universities UK Universities UK International

International education remains a key economic pillar and for Australian universities, reliance on them is considerable. Now, caps are to be introduced. 🚩 Despite making up a fraction of the student cohort, international students pay the majority of fees. 🚩 Across all Australian universities, the number of international students had increased nearly 2.5 times since 2005, with Chinese students increasing more than threefold. 🚩 The Australian government announced last week it would create powers to cap international student numbers with the aim of reducing pressure on housing and migration. 🚩 "[The government is] trying to crack down on international students and linking it to the housing crisis when actually 84 per cent of these students go back home." Instead of addressing long-established structural problems with housing and migration, this policy measure is a distraction. https://lnkd.in/eWe74jnk?