Nigeria’s tough economic situation has led to a big drop in the number of Nigerian students able to pay for their tuition in UK universities. For the new school year starting in September, there has been a 65% decrease in payments from Nigerian students.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
Indian students are also paying less, with a 44% drop in payments. Nigeria and India are among the top contributors to international students in the UK.
Financial Challenges for UK Universities
The Financial Times of London, using data from Enroly, a platform used by many international students for enrollment, reported a 35% drop in deposits for UK university courses by foreign students this month compared to last year. This decline is causing financial worries for UK universities, which rely a lot on the fees from international students.
Paul Kett from PwC UK mentioned that this is a tough time for universities, and the effects will differ from one university to another. Some might need to take serious steps to keep their finances stable.
Government Policies and International Student Recruitment
Even though there was a small improvement from a 57% drop in May, the number of international students applying to UK universities is still much lower than before. This has left many universities facing money problems.
Bridget Phillipson, the UK’s Education Secretary, said the government wants to welcome international students and criticised the previous government’s restrictive policies.
In smaller markets like Kenya and Nepal, there is actually more interest compared to last year. Jeffrey Williams, CEO of Enroly, noticed early signs of recovery, helped by the new government’s efforts to stabilise immigration policies.
However, there are still issues, such as the rule that stops most graduate students from bringing their families to the UK. This rule makes it hard for UK universities to compete with other countries that allow students to bring families.
