Britain should welcome international students who want to take undergraduate degrees in the UK, the head of the higher education admissions service has said.
Clare Marchant, chief executive of Ucas, said around 13% of placed applicants are overseas students and she does not expect that percentage “to change hugely” on A-level results day on Thursday.
Her comments come amid warnings that British students could lose out to international applicants in the competition for places at top universities this summer.
During a webinar hosted by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) think tank, Ms Marchant said: “We need to be welcoming to those undergraduate international students who want to come and study here.”
She added: “You’re competing in a global market so actually just keeping an eye on market share versus Australia, Canada and the US.”
In England, university tuition fees for undergraduate students from the UK are capped at £9,250 a year.
But universities can charge overseas students significantly higher tuition fees.
Last year, the overall entry rate for UK 18-year-olds was 37.5%.
