University of East Anglia hit by 40% drop in foreign student numbers

Image source, University of East Anglia

Image caption Vice-Chancellor David Maguire said tuition fees for UK students, capped at £9,250 in 2017/18, would now be £14,000 a year if they had kept pace with inflationArticle information

• Author, Nic Rigby
• Role, BBC Politics East
• May 26, 2024

  Updated May 26, 2024

A university’s finances have been hit by a 40% drop in the number of international students following a tightening of restrictions, its vice-chancellor said.

David Maguire, from the Norwich-based University of East Anglia, said many colleges were facing “serious financial difficulties” due to the loss of overseas students.

The government said university admissions should not be used “as a gateway to immigration”.

Image source, Martin Barber/BBC

Image caption, The University of East Anglia had 3,095 international students in 2021/22

David Maguire, vice-chancellor of the University of East Anglia, said international students were crucial.

He said the current restrictions on the families of international students coming to the country have already had a “huge” impact on the number of students arriving at UEA.

“Our international student applications are down 40%,” he told BBC Politics East.

“My number one concern is how to deal with a potential drop in tuition for international students and what we can do to supplement our income or reduce our cost base to accommodate that.”

Fees for undergraduate students in the UK have been capped at £9,250.

Overseas students pay an average of £22,000.

‘Very serious’

Maguire said that if fees had kept pace with inflation, universities would now be charging students £14,000 in fees.

“The government could address this with more core funding for universities. If prices are kept low, the quality of education will suffer.”

He said many universities were in “difficulty”.

“A recent report from the Office for students It clearly shows that up to 40% of all universities in the country could be in serious financial difficulties in the next two to three years in the absence of any additional funding to universities,” he said.

He said it was “possible” that some universities would go bankrupt.

“UEA has been running a deficit for a few years now and we are having to work hard to continue improving our finances,” he said.

The Migration Adversarial Committee (MAC) issued a report earlier this month that stated there were no widespread evidence a post-study visa for international students is being “abused”.

Image caption, Clive Lewis MP is concerned about the fall in international student numbers

Labor MP for Norwich South, Clive Lewis, said: “Education institutions and international students are essential in our Norwich community.

“There could be serious consequences for jobs at institutions like UEA and for economic stability across the country.”

Image caption James Wild, Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, some universities did not offer ‘high value’ courses

North West Norfolk Conservative MP James Wild defended the visa restriction measure.

“There are a lot of universities that don’t offer high-value courses and people are going through that route and using it as a back door. [to come to the UK]. We’re reducing that,” he told BBC Politics East.

“We want the best and brightest foreign students to come here, but we need to strike a balance with controlling immigration levels.”

Image caption Pippa Heylings said the Liberal Democrats were considering bringing back maintenance grants

Pippa Heylings, senior Liberal Democrat and Cambridgeshire councillor, said more government funding should be considered.

She also said the party is looking to make the repayment cap for students more attractive and bring back maintenance grants to offer financial support to students who are struggling.

A Department for Education spokeswoman added: “We have provided significant financial support of £6.5 billion to the higher education sector, in addition to almost £10 billion in tuition fee loans in 2022-23.

“This strikes the right balance between adding value to students, universities and the taxpayer.

“Universities are independent from the government and it is up to them to decide the best way to manage their finances.

“Together with the Student Office, we will continue to closely monitor the financial sustainability of the sector.”

BBC Politics East is available on BBC iPlayer.

University of East Anglia

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