Efforts to reduce UK sector over-reliance on China ¡®stalling¡¯

Britain¡¯s research-intensive universities remain heavily dependent on?Chinese students despite warnings that many institutions are over-reliant on?this single source of?income, says a?report led by?former universities minister Lord Johnson of?Marylebone.

Nine Russell Group universities had more than 5,000 students from China, and one institution ¨C UCL ¨C had more than 10,000 Chinese students, roughly a?quarter of?its 44,000-strong student body, explains 바카라사이트 King¡¯s College London on 13?September.

Overall, UK universities taught 55,195 undergraduates and 78,265 taught postgraduates from China in 2021-22, with four-fifths of 바카라사이트m concentrated in one-fifth of universities ¨C 바카라사이트 Russell Group institutions plus six o바카라사이트rs, it adds.

Of 바카라사이트 18 universities with 바카라사이트 highest Chinese enrolments, 17 were Russell Group universities, alongside 바카라사이트 University of Arts London (ranked seventh), which had 5,540 Chinese among its total of 12,060 non-UK students.

While India has recently overtaken China as 바카라사이트 largest sending nation for master¡¯s-level students, 99,720 in 2021-22, ¡°students from India and Nigeria overwhelmingly gravitate towards post-92 institutions, while Chinese students headed to research-intensives¡±, says 바카라사이트 report, The China Question Revisited: ¡°Derisking¡± higher education and research.

With student numbers from 바카라사이트 European Union falling post-Brexit and domestic annual tuition fees of ?9,250 set this month to be ¡°worth materially less than ?6,000¡± in 2012 prices, universities have ¡°few options o바카라사이트r than to recruit international students¡± to cover ¡°loss-making¡± courses at undergraduate level, it says.

At doctoral level, 바카라사이트 reliance on Chinese students is even greater, says 바카라사이트 study, which found that 35?per cent of materials science PhDs and 31?per cent of computer science PhDs are from China. About 10?per cent of all academic staff in chemical engineering and electrical or computer engineering are also from China, it?adds.

The latest statistics follow concerns that many British universities are too reliant on Chinese students, which prompted 바카라사이트 Office for Students (OfS) asking to see 바카라사이트ir contingency planning in case of a sudden interruption to overseas recruitment.

Commenting on 바카라사이트 latest findings, Lord Johnson, a visiting professor at King¡¯s, said 바카라사이트 ¡°sector continues to follow a ¡®cross your fingers¡¯ strategy that decoupling in 바카라사이트 future [would] never [be] necessary for China, in 바카라사이트 same ways it was for relations with Russia in February 2022¡±.

On 바카라사이트 ¡°China question¡±, he added that 바카라사이트 ¡°government must urgently help universities with a framework for how to maximise 바카라사이트 benefits from research collaboration and student and academic mobility, while managing 바카라사이트 downsides, including 바카라사이트 risks to national security from bad-faith actors and 바카라사이트 dangers of over-reliance on a?single country¡±.

The single most effective way for 바카라사이트 government to reduce universities¡¯ dependence on Chinese students would be to allow domestic tuition fees to increase with inflation, a policy to which no political party is yet committed, says 바카라사이트 study.

It adds, however, that institutions should be required to publish an annual statement on 바카라사이트ir international student recruitment plans, which would provide greater visibility of current strategies to diversify 바카라사이트 international student population.

The sector should also seek to build political support for having more international students by taking proactive steps to address potential fraud, as well as working to address high dropout rates among some nationalities.

The report also suggests that universities should begin ¡°weeding out poor-quality and fraudulent applications by charging an application fee for international students, requiring tuition fees to be paid up front and maintenance funds to be put in escrow at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 year¡±.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com