Universities in the UK are recruiting an elevated number of foreign students for boosting their treasury amid the accusations that these universities just view them as the cash cows.
The latest statistics by the Universities UK had revealed that the amount of students who are visiting the UK from non EU countries has risen from around 9% in the year 2004-05 to 13% in the year 2013-14.
In some scenarios, this has got even bigger with around a quarter of those who are pursuing education in engineering in the year 2013-14 from non EU nations.
The report came after the complaint that the universities in the UK are recruiting foreign students who pays around 20 to 30% additional fees than what the home students usually pays for many of the courses.
There are few concerns that the overall share of the foreign students who visit the UK universities would continue to drop as the immigration problems are taking off the talented and qualified students who then decides to go to Australia, Canada and the US.
In the yearly report on the UK’s higher education, the Universities UK chairman, Paul O’Prey has written that the students from non-EU countries are now making up around 13% of the students, which is high from the previous 9% in the year 2004-05.
In the year 2011-12, the students from the non EU nations had contributed around 7.2 billion pounds to the economy of the UK with their off campus expenses, accommodation expenses and their tuition fees.
There were many concerns that the overseas students are being viewed as the cash cows, but they had been also used as the scapegoats as the government of the UK tries to bring down the migration numbers.
Chancellor George Osborne has already given indications that the students might be barred from the official number of migration.
There was also concerns that many student unions and the universities run the events and the programs for making the foreign students feel good. But this do not throw the fact away that they pay importantly much than the home students, and they are often subject to the annual fee increase.
It is normal for the students to look abroad as the universities could charge a lot extra for the foreign student. But we should not decide entry by the capability to pay.
According to a warning from the expert of higher education, Matthew Robb, the general contribution of the foreign students who come to study in the UK would drop due to the random process of screening, and this can lead to the increase in the tuition fees for the home students.
He had also warned that the fall in the foreign students will damage the university experience of the UK students, and it will lead to an increase in the tuition fees as half of the students from India who now no longer visit to study in the UK.
According to him, UK is offering the market share to the countries like New Zealand, Australia, Canada and France and it would view more drop as many other nations have started welcoming the overseas students.
