A Sunday Times article on 28 January argued that international students are buying their way into UK universities through back door routes.
But is this true?
Director of Universities UK International, Jamie Arrowsmith, fact checks these claims.
‘Foreign students can buy their way on to highly competitive degree courses with as little as a handful of C grades at GCSE. The courses require British students to have A or A* grades at A-level.’
This is not true. The article presents entry requirements for foundation programmes alongside entry requirements for full degrees as though they were the same thing. This isn’t the case, so the article isn’t making a fair comparison – a point made by Sir Michael Fabricant MP in Parliament on 29 January 2024.
The article identifies specific foundation programmes that are offered to international students. These are specifically designed to help bridge any gap between the qualifications and education level of some international students and those expected for entry onto undergraduate programmes. For example, some international students may need an additional year’s preparation to meet university entry requirements – they may have only undertaken 12 years of education in their home system, rather than the 13 years which UK students will have typically completed.
