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British universities bet on foreign students, now they are turning elsewhere
🇬🇷 Greece /Economy & Trade

British universities bet on foreign students, now they are turning elsewhere

From Kathimerini · () Greek

Translated from Greek and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources New plan
  • The universities of Greenwich and Kent plan to merge into one of the United Kingdom’s largest universities while continuing to operate under their existing names.
  • British universities face financial pressure from tighter student-visa rules, demographic changes, frozen tuition fees and competition from Asian institutions.
  • Universities UK estimates that government policy decisions could reduce members’ total funding by £3.7 billion by the end of the decade.

The planned merger of the universities of Greenwich and Kent points to a difficult new direction for British higher education. The two institutions in southern England intend to form one of the United Kingdom’s largest universities, although they will continue operating under their current names.

The restructuring remains at the planning stage. Its stated aims include achieving “larger economies of scale” and bringing some services together. The proposal first emerged three years ago and now reflects mounting financial pressure across the sector.

I believe some will collapse in the sector if the government does nothing.

— Jane HarringtonThe chief executive of the London and South East University Group warned about the financial pressure facing British universities.

British universities have long relied on their global reputation to attract international students, who generally pay higher fees. That model is under strain from Britain’s demographic trends, stricter visa rules and rising competition from Asia. Universities ranked below the country’s leading institutions face the greatest exposure as overseas income declines, while tuition fees have remained frozen even as costs rise.

Home Office figures cited in the report show that study visas have fallen by about 30% from their 2022 and 2023 peaks, when they exceeded 600,000. Applications from European Union students have declined since Brexit ended free movement, although numbers from India, China, Pakistan and Nigeria have increased for now. Universities UK forecasts a £3.7 billion funding hit by the end of the decade. Jane Harrington, chief executive of the merged London and South East University Group, warned, “I believe some will collapse in the sector if the government does nothing.” She added, “They need to understand that the cost of a university collapse will be far greater than providing some support.”

They need to understand that the cost of a university collapse will be far greater than providing some support.

— Jane HarringtonHarrington called for government support as universities face falling international-student income and rising costs.
About this summary

Originally published by Kathimerini in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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