Students split over new overseas strategy

UK ministers have unveiled a new education policy that ends foreign student targets and prioritises transnational education.

The shift moves away from recruiting international students to UK campuses and towards establishing university hubs abroad to extend the UK’s global education reach.

These university hubs are fundamentally a satellite teaching spaces which allow students to access university level curriculum and education from their home country.

According to gov.uk, the government aims to grow education exports to £40 billion a year by 2030 by expanding overseas provision and allowing top students to access a “world-class UK education” on their own doorsteps.”

However, response to these new proposals have left students at Kingston University divided.

Renee, an international student at Kingston University, said: “Personally, I would not study at Kingston University if it’s not Kingston University in the UK.”

She added: “Yes, being an international student is expensive with the tuition, the living fees, the visa immigration and so on. Yes, it’s a headache but I didn’t come to this country simply for the education.”

“I picked this country because I wanted to experience life here, I could have studied the same course back home if I wanted but it would not be the same.”

According to www.qs.com, 76% of students interested in studying in the UK say that a welcoming environment for international students is an important factor when choosing a place to learn.

Divya Prasanna Ramarathnam, a former student and now KU Future Skills staff member said:

“I understand why they are changing the strategy. With everything that’s going on with immigration they are trying to reduce immigration and manage it.

“I think it’s a good idea, because for international students studying in the UK, it is extremely expensive, the living costs, tuition costs, immigration, this would be able to help them by alleviating the costs and making everything much more accessible.”

Ramarathnam added that the new policy would only be detrimental for the UK in the long term.

“This is bad for the government because they will be losing money as they would not receive the usual funds they gain from costs for international students,” she said. “It is a double-edged sword for them”.

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