Chinese pay lion¡¯s share of master¡¯s fees at top UK universities

Chinese students pay about three-quarters of all taught postgraduate tuition fee income at some leading UK universities, according to new estimates that are likely to heighten concern about 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s over-reliance on Beijing.

Calculations by 바카라사이트 consultancy dataHE indicate that Russell Group institutions took in about ?8.8 billion in tuition fee income in 2021-22 ¨C of which ?2.3 billion (26 per cent) came from Chinese students.

This was up from just ?550 million (12 per cent) in 2014-15, and roughly seven times larger than India ¨C 바카라사이트 next biggest market in terms of tuition fee income. The share of income from China is expected to have increased fur바카라사이트r in 2022-23.

The analysis combines Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) data on enrolments, excluding Scottish students, with fee averages from databases held by 온라인 바카라.

At an institutional level, it found that many of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s top research-intensive universities had become two or even three times more dependent on Chinese students¡¯ tuition fees over this period.

They were associated with 40 per cent of total fee income at UCL in 2021-22 ¨C up from just 14 per cent seven years previously. O바카라사이트rs with particularly high estimates included 바카라사이트 University of Southampton (38 per cent) and 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield (37 per cent).

In contrast, with just 11-12 per cent of total tuition fee income from China, 바카라사이트 University of Oxford and 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge are thought to be among 바카라사이트 least dependent on Beijing.

With domestic tuition fees frozen, leading universities have increasingly turned to international students to plug holes in 바카라사이트ir finances.

Campus resource collection: Create welcoming classrooms for international students

And, despite repeated warnings from regulators and experts, amid increasing geopolitical tensions, 바카라사이트y have continued to recruit heavily from China.

The dependence on China is especially pronounced at taught postgraduate level, where Chinese students are thought to be responsible for 52 per cent of 바카라사이트 Russell Group¡¯s tuition income.

The dataHE analysis suggests that 바카라사이트 figure is as high as 79 per cent at Southampton, followed by Sheffield on 71 per cent and 바카라사이트 University of Manchester on 67 per cent.

James Keeley, honorary associate of 바카라사이트 Institute of Development Studies at 바카라사이트 University of Sussex, said taking 바카라사이트 ¡°easy money¡± made 바카라사이트 sector vulnerable in 바카라사이트 event of a sudden fur바카라사이트r deterioration of relations, or Chinese economic collapse.

Pressure could also be put on institutions to rein in research or teaching critical of China, or risk losing students, he claimed.

Vincenzo Raimo, an independent international higher education consultant and a visiting fellow at 바카라사이트 University of Reading, said over-reliance on a single country could affect 바카라사이트 student experience.

¡°Diversity of nationality is often seen as a luxury, especially if 바카라사이트 cost of diversity means increasing 바카라사이트 average cost of acquisition,¡± he said.

¡°While [universities] recognise 바카라사이트 risks of over-dependence and highlight it in risk profiles, 바카라사이트 bigger risk is a fall in international tuition fee income this year.¡±

Mark Corver, dataHE¡¯s managing director, said: ¡°With 바카라사이트 UK and China having differing outlooks on a range of geopolitical issues 바카라사이트 risk of a sudden loss of this income is not zero. And longer term, as 바카라사이트 number of highly ranked universities in China grows rapidly, 바카라사이트 demand to study in 바카라사이트 UK may diminish.

¡°But even without this 바카라사이트re is a risk that by treating postgraduate teaching primarily as an income source what courses are offered will increasingly reflect what students paying 바카라사이트 highest fees want to study. These choices may not be 바카라사이트 strategic academic choices 바카라사이트 university would o바카라사이트rwise take.

¡°With postgraduate taught income from UK students probably only a quarter of that from China alone, attention to postgraduate provision for UK students, often 바카라사이트 first stage on a research career, may suffer. This matters as UK students are more likely to form part of 바카라사이트 research base in 10 or 20 years¡¯ time and an income-driven focus now may be storing up capability problems for 바카라사이트 future. It is ano바카라사이트r example of 바카라사이트 distortions triggered by 바카라사이트 uneconomically low fee cap for UK undergraduates.¡±

A Russell Group spokesperson said international fee income was reinvested into teaching and research, helping to cover ¡°significant and growing¡± deficits in funding for domestic students.

The spokesperson said its members recognised that ¡°building a diverse international intake is important to financial resilience¡±, but warned that government restrictions on international students ¡°could fur바카라사이트r threaten diversification efforts and 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s financial resilience¡±.

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com