UK government ministers are being warned that any U-turn on their commitments to grow international student numbers could result in billions of pounds in lost revenue, wreck their growth plans, and damage local economies in their own constituencies.
Commenting on speculation that the UK Government may look to cut international student numbers, Vivienne Stern MBE, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said:
New polling, commissioned from Public First by Universities UK, has revealed that the UK public doesn’t see reducing legal migration as a priority compared to other pressing issues, and are not in favour of cutting the number of international students.
From supporting the efforts to preserve vital rail networks, to offering financial assistance to build bomb shelters so Ukrainian institutions can continue to conduct classes; UK universities have played a pivotal role in helping to support Ukraine over the past year.
Since the launch of the government’s International Education Strategy in 2019, growth in international student recruitment to the UK has delivered a boost of more than £60 billion to the UK’s economy, new analysis shows.
Following the publication by the Home Office of the terms of reference for the Migration Advisory Committee's review into the Graduate route, Universities UK has responded to the detail.
Official figures have been released on UK revenues from education-related exports and show a total figure of £27.9bn in 2021. 77.9% of this was accounted for by Higher Education.
The Migration Advisory Committee has today published its 'Rapid Review of the Graduate Route'. The report finds that the route is 'not undermining the integrity and quality of the UK higher education system' and indeed confirms that it supports the Government’s International Education Strategy.