The University of York has told staff to take a “more flexible approach” to admitting overseas students with lower-than-expected grades, in the latest sign that UK higher education is facing severe recruitment and financial pressures.
Staff at the Russell Group university were told: “In response to the current financial challenges, the university has decided to lower its tariff for all departments and programmes for overseas applicants,” according to an email reported by the Financial Times.
While York maintains that a typical offer for undergraduate applicants requires A grades at A-level, the university will now admit some international applicants as undergraduates with the equivalent of B or C at A-level, while entry to postgraduate courses would require a 2:2 award or similar, rather than a 2:1.
A spokesperson for York said the move would bring international student admissions into line with the approach it used for UK students.
British universities increasingly rely on income from lucrative international student fees, with universities in England having seen tuition fees frozen for domestic students since 2016, and those in Scotland facing cuts in national government funding.
Meanwhile, the UK government is looking to reduce the number of visas issued to international students as a way of cutting immigration. This year it has removed the ability for many overseas students to be accompanied by family members.
A spokesperson for the University of York said: “The university has not lowered its entry grades for international students and they remain as advertised.
