International students should have to pay their tuition fees upfront to prevent them from gaming the visa system, a former universities minister has suggested, as figures showed one in four from India and Bangladesh drop out.
Lord Johnson of Marylebone said that overseas students should have to prove they can support themselves for the duration of their course to prevent abuse of the system.
There are concerns that high drop-out rates indicate that some obtain student visas only to quit their studies and move into work.
Students are allowed to work up to 20 hours a week and could keep doing this even if not attending university, as long as they are still registered with the institution.
