UK universities face financial pressure due to reduced numbe

Under the current education situation, British universities are facing a severe challenge. Due to visa policy restrictions and factors such as Brexit, the number of international students in British universities has sharply decreased in the past two years.

Previously, the UK had nearly 760000 international students in 2022, making it the second largest study abroad destination in the world, with India, China, and Nigeria being the main sources of students. But last year, the UK government took a series of measures to reduce immigration, such as banning most international students from bringing their families and changing work visas during their studies, which made it increasingly difficult for UK universities to recruit international students. Some students began to flow to countries such as Canada, Australia, or the Netherlands.

From July to September this year, the number of UK study visa applications decreased by 16% compared to the same period last year. In the first four months of this year, the number of study abroad applications decreased by 30000 compared to the same period last year, and the number of study visas issued in 2023 decreased by 5% year-on-year.

The tuition fees paid by international students are much higher than those paid by local students, and British universities rely heavily on international students for their income. The decrease in the number of international students has exacerbated the financial difficulties of many universities, and many universities have had to alleviate the pressure by admitting more international students. At the University of the Arts London and Cranfield University, international students account for over half of the total student population, and universities such as York University have even lowered admission standards to attract international students. More than one-third of Coventry University's 30000 students come from overseas, but due to Brexit, the number of international students from the European Union has significantly decreased.

Faced with issues such as inflation and a decrease in international student enrollment, the UK Labour government recently announced that universities can raise tuition fees based on the National Retail Price Index for the next academic year, but the maximum tuition fee per student cannot exceed £ 9535. Although this decision has been welcomed by some universities, industry insiders believe that its role in filling the funding gap caused by the decline in the number of international students is very limited.

The future development of British universities is worrying, and how to attract more international students and solve financial difficulties has become an important issue that urgently needs to be addressed.