Who is to Blame for the Decline of British Universities?

It is not a great time to be a university in the UK. First came Brexit, with its impact on European students who now prefer destinations like the Netherlands, which are much cheaper and still provide top-notch education. Then came the pandemic, with remote lectures and enraged students asking for their money back. 

Now, the U.K. government has decided that the education sector drives up migration numbers, and wants none of that. So overseas students are no longer allowed to bring family members with them through the dependants’ route. There’s an exception only for PhD students or those in research-led masters courses.

The U.K. government has claimed that some were abusing the system. But it’s hard to see how someone would enrol and pay for a master’s programme in the UK just so they can bring their partner. The countries with the highest number of dependants coming with enrolled students were from Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. 

In addition, overseas students won’t be able to switch from the student visa route to work routes until they’re done with their studies. This was a useful avenue enabling many students to stay in the UK and keep their knowledge and skills within the country. Predictably, universities have come out denouncing these moves and the impact they will have on the universities’ finances. Overseas students, pay the highest fees, and represent a consistent form of income for British institutions.

Universities have always been the crown jewel of the UK, a symbol of diversity and innovation. Short-sighted policies, useful only to gain a couple of political nods, risk making a mess of a valuable resource.

In 2021–22, there were 285 higher education providers in the UK that returned data to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

During the period, there were 2,182,560 students studying at UK higher education providers.

• Undergraduate: 1,734,805

• Postgraduate: 444,760

• Full time: 1,630,505

• Part time: 552,060

• Students from the UK:2,182,560

• Students from the EU: 120,140

• Students from non-EU countries: 559,825

In 2021–22, there were 233,930 staff (excluding atypical staff) employed at UK higher education institutions.

• Staff employed on academic contracts made up 43% of the population.

• 16% of academic staff with a known nationality had an EU nationality, while 16% had a non-EU nationality.

• 8% of non-academic staff with a known nationality had an EU nationality, while 4% had a non-EU nationality.

In May 2023, analysis by London Economics estimated first-year international students enrolled in the 2021/22 academic year brought total net economic benefits to the UK of £37.4 billion. Estimated total economic benefits were approximately £41.9 billion, while estimated total costs were £4.4 billion, suggesting a benefit-to-cost ratio of 9.4:1. The economic impact was spread across the entire UK, with international students making a £58 million net economic contribution to the UK economy per parliamentary constituency across the duration of their studies. This is equivalent to £560 per UK resident.

Alongside these economic benefits, surveys have shown international students benefit the UK higher education experience by bringing an outward-looking culture to campuses and preparing students for working in a global environment. In 2023, over one-quarter of the world’s countries (58) was headed by someone educated in the UK, which is second only to the USA (65).

Sometimes, politicians like to do the “hara-kiri”. The U.K. used to have an excellent tertiary and healthcare system. Sadly, these are now under-funded and monies go to the war in the Ukraine or some other obscure conflict. Britain with no empire is trying to find relevance in the world. Parading on the King’s birthday, sending arms (and even troops) to war-torn countries is a sheer waste. Its primary task is to re-build what used to be its strong areas – tertiary institutions and research, commercialisation of research, healthcare and pharmaceuticals and new fields like AI. It is a waste to build aircraft carriers and pretend – when care homes and others suffer to feed the war machine! (That also applies to Malaysia, we pretend to be a “regional” or “Gaza” power instead of getting our education and healthcare outcomes right).

References:

Explainer: Who is to blame for the decline of British universities? Elena Siniscalco, City A.M.

Higher education in numbers, www.universitiesuk.c.uk

Countries with the most international students in the UK, HESA

Overseas student number, House of Commons Library, 20 November 2023