The Invaluable Contributions of International Students to UK Higher Education

The UK has long been a global hub for higher education, attracting students from diverse corners of the world. Beyond the economic benefits of tuition fees and living expenses, international students bring a wealth of value to the UK's higher education landscape. From enriching the academic environment to fostering cultural diversity and global perspectives, their contributions are integral to the student experience, the research agenda and the vibrancy of our university communities.

We now find ourselves in the regrettable position where the survival of many institutions in the current funding landscape is at the mercy of kneejerk policy decisions and the current hostile messaging related to reducing immigration numbers.

Many competitor nations in the Higher Education sphere don’t count international students in their headline immigration statistics which reduces how exposed to risk their Higher Education institutions are when the political wind changes. The US classifies international students as ‘non-immigrants’ and Canada includes international students in statistics as ‘non-permanent residents.’

Our current government’s increasingly draconian approach puts at risk one of our nations objectively world class sectors as well as the many industries and public sector professions that urgently need international graduate talent to thrive in the post Brexit labour market context.

Many employers’ reticence to recruit international students and graduates, although disappointing, has to be seen as a rational response to the political climate and mood music from this Government.

Employers’ awareness of Graduate Visa options has certainly been an issue, but we shouldn’t underestimate the genuine points of friction that exist. Recruitment and development carry significant cost - retention of international graduates is inherently more costly, difficult and uncertain.

The Graduate Visa simply hasn’t been a viable option for many employers seeking to recruit, and crucially retain, international graduates; as this Graduate Recruiter described:

 ‘Our Engineering programmes are a minimum of 3 years. With the Graduate Visa being only 2 years, it means we’re having to use the Skilled Worker route’

Both employers and students have been seeking to skip this Graduate Visa step to better manage risk. Last week Home Secretary James Cleverley announced the minimum salary threshold for a Skilled Worker Visa will increase from £26,200 to £38,700, well above the salary most graduates can expect to earn in their first professional role.

This hike in the threshold will also have a direct impact on universities ability to hire early careers researchers to support them to deliver on the research agenda.

 ‘The increase in the skilled worker general salary threshold requirement is really significant. The category of people it's going to impact on is precisely the early career and postdoctoral researchers who are so vital’ Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, Vice Chancellor of St Andrews and President of Universities UK.

 We are fortunate to have a world class Higher Education sector that attracts international talent in large numbers, but we must really listen to employers running graduate recruitment schemes, remove barriers and build trust over the long haul. We shouldn’t expect employers to gamble on ever changing policy; workforce planning doesn’t work like that. We owe it to international graduates, employers and our faltering economy to get it right.

One of the most palpable contributions of international students to UK higher education lies in the diverse tapestry of cultures, perspectives, and experiences they weave into the academic fabric. At its best the multicultural classroom becomes a microcosm of the globalized world, providing students with a valuable opportunity to interact with peers with different backgrounds and to hear global perspectives first-hand. This not only enhances the educational experience but also cultivates a global mindset crucial for navigating today's interconnected world. This has already been eroded through Brexit and the reduction in EU students; our nation finds ourselves in a hole of our own making, it would be sensible to stop digging.

Living and studying in a different cultural context equips international students with a set of soft skills that are highly valued in the professional world such as adaptability and cross-cultural communication. It is a real shame that we now seemingly also require them to have almost super human levels of resilience to be able to navigate the rough seas of our labour market to be able to apply their high-level skills to help grow our ailing economy.

I often think that as a nation we would benefit from more of our own students embarking on this experience, it was always noticeable to me when I ran a Study Abroad module, in the halcyon days of Erasmus funding, that a disproportionate number of students that took up these experiences were EU students for whom studying in the UK was already studying abroad. We are actually diminishing this cultural exchange on both sides, with reduced funding now available for global mobility of our students at the same time as making the UK a less attractive proposition for international students.

While the economic impact of international students is often quantified in terms of tuition fees and living expenses, its broader economic impact is huge. The injection of funds into the local economy sustains various sectors, from housing and transportation to retail and services. This economic symbiosis contributes to the overall prosperity of many regions whilst they wait patiently for this mystical concept of levelling up to occur.

However, this does not come without challenges; many universities have expanded rapidly and that often brings huge pressure on local housing markets and public services. It could be argued that much of the economic benefit goes to private landlords and that the average person living in a city faced by rapidly rising rents won’t be feeling the headline economic benefit many in the sector point to. We need to be honest about this reality.

However, the contributions of international students extend far beyond their time on campus. Graduates from UK universities who were once international students become ambassadors of the education they received, often carrying their knowledge, skills, and experiences back to their home countries. This global workforce development creates a network of professionals interconnected by their education in the UK, fostering international collaboration and contributing to global development. This soft power should never be underestimated, you would hope it would be one benefit that politicians would recognise more than most but regretfully many seem happy to forgo it.

It is neither sustainable or desirable for the UK Higher Education sector to be so reliant on international student fees to prop up a funding model that is no longer fit for purpose.

The value of international students in UK higher education goes far beyond the transactional aspects of tuition fees and economic contributions. Their presence enriches the academic environment, fosters cultural understanding, and prepares students for a world where global collaboration is the key to success.