UK policy for international students discourages “good immigration”?

The government’s immigration policy is sending “damaging signals” to international students, and should be changed to promote applications from students abroad, said Lord Bilimoria, newly-appointed chancellor of the University of Birmingham.

The chancellor’s comments come amid the implementation of tougher restrictions on student visas, and across the board increases in tuition fees for overseas students to study in the UK.

In his interview, Lord Bilimoria said that there should be new targets to increase the numbers of international students at UK universities: “The number of international students to Britain fell for the first time last year.”

According to the BBC, a representative of Warwick University said its 5,000-plus international students bring the University fees of almost £90 million, which is reinvested to the benefit of British students.

“The government may say Britain is open for business but they’re sending out a message that is not so welcoming,” said the University’s representative.

While Warwick’s tuition fees for home students are capped at £9,000 per year, fees for overseas students stand at a minimum of £15,000 up to £20,000 for business, economics and laboratory-based courses. Fees are set to continue increasing for the coming academic year.

First-year Economics undergraduate from Germany, Marcel Schlepper, told the Boar: “I think fewer people will apply to study in the UK from Germany, because of the higher tuition fees, or it will just continue to attract the group of people who are able to pay.”

That there could be a disparity in continuing fee rises for international students amid the cap on fees for home students was noted by first-year undergraduate of Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), Anya Kundakchian, from Russia: “The rubble has fallen massively over the last year so I pay almost 50% more [than home students]”.

Commenting on the impact of students from different countries, Ms Kundakchian said: “I get to meet lots of different nationalities and make friends with people from all over the world.”

Warwick’s international students account for just over a quarter of the student body, a high proportion compared to the UK university average of just under 15%. The benefits of a diverse student body were echoed by international and home students alike:

First-year PPE undergraduate from Derby, Clinton Gordon-Clayton said: “University is a great opportunity to expand my cultural knowledge and also my knowledge of important issues around the world.”