As students across the country await their A-level results, the head of higher education admission service UCAS said the UK should welcome international undergraduate applicants.
Around 13 percent of those who apply for undergraduate courses in Britain are overseas students. Chief executive of UCAS, Clare Marchant, said the number is unlikely to change when the A-level results come out on Thursday.
“We need to be welcoming to those undergraduate international students who want to come and study here,” she said.
British students will compete, as usual, with international applicants for spots in higher education institutions. The A-level results of UK students are expected to be lower compared to last year, according to Ofqual, the examinations regulator.
Among concerns that British students could lose out to overseas applicants as they compete for spots at top UK universities, Ms. Marchant said she didn’t expect the ratio to change.
“Certainly we see around 13 percent of placed students are international students. We know it is absolutely pivotal to diversity at institutions and on courses. And broadly that percentage we don’t expect to change hugely come Thursday or the end of the cycle in October either,” she said.
Competition
According to reports in the The Telegraph and The Times of London, 10 Russell Group universities had more courses on offer for international students than domestic applicants the weekend before the A-level results day. This included Durham University, Liverpool University, and the University of Leeds.International students typically pay higher fees than UK students, whose maximum tuition fees has been capped at £9,250 per year. Amid the post-pandemic economic recovery and the cost of living crisis, many UK households may find it challenging to pay tuition fees.
Commenting on whether this year more universities offer courses in clearing to international rather than UK students, Ms. Marchant said that the numbers were “broadly consistent with previous years.”
“I think that the proof in the pudding in terms of competition probably will come on Thursday afternoon as some of those courses are taken out of clearing as they get filled up,” the UCAS chief added.
UK universities compete with higher education institutions all over the world to attract students. Ms. Marchant mentioned Australia, Canada, and the United States as some of Britain’s competitors on the global market.
The cost of living crisis has “changed and shaped” the higher education experience of UK students, said Ms. Marchant, with two-thirds of applications “almost expecting” to work part-time during their studies.
“We have about 1.3 million people who come through our digital front door. When we survey them, the cost of living is very much paramount in their minds,” Ms. Marchant said.
The UCAS chief also expressed “sympathy” for this year’s applicants, as they haven’t “gone through an external exam before.” Owing to disruption caused by COVID-19 lockdowns, this year’s A-level takers haven’t had to sit the GCSE exams two years ago. Instead they were awarded results by their teachers. In addition, pupils missed schooltime this year owing to teachers strikes.
“Of course there is going to be a level of anxiety when it comes to Thursday,” Ms. Marchant said.
In March, UCAS reported that there could be up to 30 percent more higher education applicants over the remainder of the decade, leading to greater competition for places.
