Young graduates of the Imperial College of London during their graduation ceremony on October 19, 2022 in London, England.
Richard Baker | In pictures | Getty images
British universities are preparing to attract international Chinese students after the administration of President Donald Trump has repressed visas for Chinese students student in the United States
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said In a statement on Wednesday that the United States will start “aggressively” Revoke visas for Chinese students In the United States, including those who have links with the Chinese Communist Party, in immigration limitation efforts.
It comes after the Trump administration too Blocked from Harvard University Ability to register or retain international students, accusing the elite institution Ivy League to “coordinate with the Chinese Communist Party on his campus”.
British universities should now take advantage of the Chinese students who have been disrupted by this development and are likely to pivot from the United States to other study destinations, according to Sankar Sivarajah, head of the Kingston Business School.
Sivarajah said that American policy is “disappointing” and “not turned” at a time when higher education establishments should promote more diverse talents and perspectives.
The total number of international Chinese students in higher education establishments in the United Kingdom during the academic year from 2023 to 2024 came to 149,885, according to the latest figures Higher Education Statistics Agency. This was dropped by 154,260 in the previous school year and 151,700 during the academic year from 2021 to 2022.
However, the change is underway as Knight Frank analysis From the January 2025 Cycle request from the UCAS revealed an 8.9% increase in Chinese international students’ requests, with 31,160 China candidates by January 2025, against 28,620 at the same period last year.
The United Kingdom is an attractive study destination for international Chinese students among competitors like the United States, Canada and Australia, said Sivarajah. Its appeal is rooted in shorter durations, affordable subsistence costs and global recognition.
“These are fairly attractive factors in general so that the United Kingdom is a destination of choice for higher education and current post-study work opportunities and put the United Kingdom to seize this opportunity,” said Sivarajah.
‘A slow drop’
André Spicer, Executive Director of Bayes Business School, said on CNBC “Squawk Box Europe“That there has been a” slow drop in the number of American institutions that appear in the Top 100 “, and this goes to international institutions that increase their game, including in Europe.
“So, here in the United Kingdom, we have somehow held ours, so if you get a lime from 10 to 15 minutes, you will find a bunch of world and leading institutions, to direct business schools like mine, like Imperial Like London Business School,” said Spicer on Friday. “So we are one of the strongest concentrations of fantastic business schools, but also major universities in Europe.”
British universities are also strongly dependent on the financing of international students, because undergraduate costs for domestic students are a “loss product” because tuition fees are frozen and have not followed inflation, said Sivarajah.
“So, to finance higher education, the model in the United Kingdom is that universities really rely on the international financing of students to ensure that they are financially sustainable … International student funding is fairly crucial for the financial sustainability of the British University.”
Chinese students bring 5.5 billion pounds sterling ($ 7.4 billion) in costs In 158 British universities, according to a recent telegraph analysis. The British newspaper noted that 21 universities are counting on students from China for at least one tenth of their income, including the Royal College of Art, the University College of London and the University of Manchester.
Michael Spence, president and provost of the UCL, said in a statement in CNBC that he highly values his international students.
“International students provide large-scale economic, social and cultural advantages in the United Kingdom, and we are dedicated to greeting it the brightest and best to study with us now and in the future,” said Spence.
“ Increase in strategic level partnerships ”
With many students who are expected to start the academic year in September, British universities accelerate efforts to make studies in the United Kingdom more attractive to Chinese students, including the creation of initiatives with Chinese institutions.
“There could be an increase in the number of strategic level partnerships, working with Chinese institutions to build this so that it is not in the short term but a long -term overview of how they can build this bridge,” said Sivarajah.
This includes the thrust of programs such as 2 + 1 articulation programs where students can start their studies in China for two years and finish the last year in the United Kingdom, other avenues to attract talent, including the supply of financial incentives such as scholarships, added Sivarajah.
Spicer de Bayes Business School stressed that there were long-term advantages for Chinese students who piedal towards the United Kingdom, including the growth of the European start-up ecosystem.
“There are economic research that came out last year that showed that the largest percentage of high-growth startups in the United States is founded by foreign nationals who had gone to American universities, sometimes in business schools,” said Spicer.
“Now the question is that, if we can attract this talent here, use the ecosystems we have in places like London, places like Berlin, places like Paris, to stimulate these high-growing startups, it will certainly benefit,” he added.
