UK universities | Foreign Students

UK Universities Fight Visa Cuts

Submitted by Foreign Students on Mon 07/03/11

A group of vice-chancellors from sixteen top UK universities have continued the fight against government plans to reduce the number of visas for international students coming to study in the UK.

In a joint letter to British newspaper ‘The Observer’, the professors wrote to “express profound concern at the damage that would be caused to the UK economy and to our universities if the government's proposals to reduce the number of international students coming to the UK are implemented”.

The letter came in response to British Home Secretary Theresa May revealing plans to make it harder for international students to get visas to study in the UK. The government has promised to cut migration to Britain by 2015 and students currently represent almost two thirds of non-EU migrants.

There is the concern that a high number of non-EU students coming to the UK are using obscure courses at untrustworthy institutions simply to get a visa. However, in their letter, the university vice-chancellors denied this, arguing that “evidence shows that international students in universities overwhelmingly do not abuse the system”.

They went on to say:

Changes to Student Visas Damaging & Poorly Communicated

Submitted by Andy on Wed 09/05/12

In the first of a new series exploring the radical changes the British higher education system is undergoing, ForeignStudents.com Editor Andy looks at how new student visa restrictions are affecting international students.

Last year Theresa May announced that 260,000 fewer student visas will be given out over the next five years, through harsher restrictions on fake colleges and bogus students. Whilst it is clear that preventing fake students from illegally gaining visas is a positive thing, I believe the problem has been hugely overblown, and the solution poorly managed and badly miscommunicated.

Misuse of Figures

The basic problem here is that headline grabbing statistics have been used to the advantage of the government in order to impress British voters, whilst the very same figures have had the exact opposite impact on prospective international students. The headline figure of 260,000 fewer visas sounds like a high number and makes the government appear to be taking action. However, to prospective students abroad, the figure inevitably makes Britain appear less welcoming.

Number of UK Universities to Increase

Submitted by Foreign Students on Fri 05/08/11

The number of official universities in the UK is set to soar in the next year, after the government announced new plans for more relaxed regulations for institutions to gain the prestigious title. They are proposing that the number of full-time students needed for the institution to qualify will be cut from 4,000 to just 1,000. This could lead to more than a dozen small Higher Education colleges in London and throughout the UK winning full university status, in what would be the biggest expansion of universities for twenty years.

The Benefits of a Name

The proposals are all part of the wider scheme to create a more competitive and diverse Higher Education system in England, and the colleges awarded university status will enjoy a number of benefits. The association of the name alone will allow the colleges a better reputation, as they will be connected, in name at least, with the top universities in the UK. Furthermore, they will also be able to gain from the financial benefits that universities are eligible for.

Prof Peter Lutzeier, principal of Newman University College, Birmingham, has backed the proposals, explaining: