Date published: 2005/03/05
The Financial Times says (subscription service):
Universities are experiencing a dramatic fall in the number of students from Asia enrolling on post-graduate courses, endangering the financial viability of some science departments.
The number of students from China signing up to courses has fallen by about 50 per cent at some British institutions, according to a survey from Universities UK, the umbrella body for higher education. Admissions departments say there has been a greater decline in recruiting to post-graduate research posts and courses than to undergraduate programmes.
Recruitment from China, Japan, Malaysia, India, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore, as well as the US, Norway and Turkey, has been adversely affected by increased visa extension costs and bad publicity surrounding changes to the immigration regime as well as the strength of sterling, UUK said.
The association called for the British government to follow the US, which last month abandoned tighter anti-terrorist immigration policies after Ivy League and state universities experienced recruitment difficulties. Students from outside the European Union provide £1.25bn in tuition fees, and 7 per cent of the total higher education budget, according to UUK. Many institutions have become increasingly dependent on this income.
Well the caveat "at some British universities" should be noted. But if the UK insists on treating foreign students badly then they will go elsewhere. It's not as if UK post-graduate education is the best in the world.
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