SU launches campaign to regulate fees for international students

The Warwick Students’ Union (SU) has recently launched a campaign to regulate the fees for international students. The petition, which was published on 26 April, is titled #FixTheFees and is demanding consistency, fairness and transparency in the process.

The petition states: “It’s all too easy to stereotype International Students as being wealthy, but we know from a survey conducted by the Students’ Union that this fee regime is placing a burden on these students’ families and severely impacting the students’ wellbeing.”

International fees vary considerably between universities, but Warwick students are currently being asked to pay between £17,460 and £22,260 per year for a Bachelor’s degree. Moreover, international students are subject to rising fee costs during their degree, sometimes paying £2000 more than when they had started.

Hope Worsdale, the Education Officer and incoming SU President, wrote a blog post in order to promote the petition: “As an SU, it is abundantly clear to us that non-EU international students are fed up of this treatment, and that many feel as though they are valued for nothing more than the extortionate fees that they are forced to pay. Our international students deserve better, and it is within the power of the University to do better.”

Luke Pilot, the current SU President, had previously published a blog post on what the university can do to support international students, which is what led to the campaign.

Shay Xiao Sicheng, a finalist law student, commented, “International students equally care about the quality and costs of education; such fee policies tend to view us simply as a revenue source, which worsens the problem in light of the government’s attitude towards immigration as well.”

In the past, Warwick SU was able to place a cap on EU tuition fees rising for the 2016/2017 academic year, stopping the fees from increasing by £250 per year. Students arriving in October 2017 for the first time will have to pay the proposed £9,250, but this will not apply to those currently enrolled.