Universities in the UK’s Russell Group warning that they are ever more reliant on international student income from China and India are also facing potential shocks from global market factors, an alarm sounded by a sharp fall in the University of York’s overseas recruitment.
A 16 per cent fall in international numbers at York, contributing to a £24 million deficit (£14 million operating deficit) at the university in 2022-23, spotlights how growing political and economic headwinds against overseas recruitment could affect Russell Group institutions vital to the UK’s research base. The previous year, York drew 56 per cent of its international student numbers from China.
The Office for Students warned 23 institutions about their high levels of recruitment from China in May last year. But 2022-23 financial statements suggest that Russell Group universities’ reliance on international income is increasing.
The University of Manchester’s financial statements spell out the situation, noting that the frozen £9,250 fee is “declining in real terms as inflation continues to push the cost of teaching delivery upwards”. There is, it adds, “currently a low government appetite for increased HE funding, leading universities to continue to be reliant on international students. International student numbers continue to be reliant on students from a relatively small number of countries (China being the dominant market).”
