Category: UK

The UK’s cost of living crisis – how will it affect international students?

“International students travel more than the average student, so they are likely to feel the weight of living costs more”

While the coronavirus pandemic rocked the international study industry, another threat has surfaced which will transform the way international students live, spend, and save: the cost of living crisis, writes Jon Munnery at UK Liquidators. On the day the Chancellor of the Exchequer put out the Spring Statement, inflation hit the highest level in 30 years. When inflation increases, the cost of living increases in tandem, which means it’s prime time to review your spending plans for 2022.

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Chinese students are keen to study in the UK but want greater choices – is ‘HyFlex’ learning the future?

“As China begins to emerge from the pandemic, it is important to understand the future for UK China International Education”

Research commissioned by Study Group shows rebounding demand from Chinese students to broaden their horizons at UK higher education institutions. However, the study makes clear there won’t be a return to pre-Covid times – education providers will need to employ innovative approaches to unlock future opportunities, writes James Pitman, Study Group’s managing director UK and Europe.

Unlike the often-fragile relationship between countries and governments, education provides a unique opportunity for students worldwide build solid relationships in a supportive and open environment. Tertiary institutions in the UK have traditionally held high appeal for many Chinese students and their parents. With China representing a fifth of the world’s population and a rapidly growing economy, the UK and China have one of the world’s most important international education relationships.

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Teesside’s success in achieving world-leading results in the International Student Barometer 2021

“We pride ourselves on developing our offer around students’ needs and our student-centric approach”

The financial returns of international student recruitment are well-documented across the sector, including the most recent HEPI Report, ‘The costs and benefits of international higher education’, says David Bell, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) at Teesside University.

The implications for the Tees Valley, where the monetary contribution of international students was valued at over £240m (total net impact) is welcomed by the region, but the significant benefits of international student recruitment stretches far beyond the financial return.

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How has pastoral care changed during the pandemic? The Guardianship view…

“One particular aspect of additional support that Guardians have offered is the provision of holiday camps during school holidays”

The additional stresses to both existing and new students due to Covid cannot be overestimated. Many existing students have not been able to return home for over 18 months, whilst some new students have been bewildered on arriving in the UK without the benefits of a prior visit due to Covid restrictions.

“This is why we have now added a medical questionnaire at the start of UK Education Guide’s student screening process, to particularly highlight any existing mental health issues,” says director, Rafael Garcia-Krailing.

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International re-birth a step change for delivering “local and global” impact

“All learners will have an international experience, either physical travel or through digital technologies”

It may have escaped the attention of many in higher education, but at the start of this academic year Teesside University Business School quietly rebranded as Teesside University International Business School, writes the school’s dean, Warren Harrison.

Although there was no launch event, or press release landing in editor’s inboxes, for us this represents a step change around our commitment to international education and international students.

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Cultural education – easing the transition to the UK education system for international students

“Telling a Chinese student to critically appraise a text can often make them feel uncomfortable and the word ‘critical’ suggests ‘censure’”

A recent survey from UKI Student and School Forum and featured in The PIE News highlighted that international boarding school students, despite having potentially studied for several years in the UK, still worry about studying at degree level.

The transition to the UK education system is not an easy one for any international young person to make, but Paul Breen, from University of Westminster has some strong views on how the transition could be eased.

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Ready, steady, go? International applicants want more information to inform their study decisions

“When asked about how ready they felt to study abroad ahead of the autumn, half of applicants felt either only somewhat ready or not ready at all”

Demand for UK HE remains strong, though international students want to know more about what’s in store for them, writes Des Cutchey, Managing Director, UCAS International.

As society and the education sector continues to adapt to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, we know international students continue to face uncertainty as they navigate their first academic year, or plan for future study in the UK. What will travel and the student experience look like in the current context? What will life look like as precautions related to the pandemic continue to change?

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Why giving children exposure to a greater variety of languages in schools is crucial to problem solving

“Embracing language learning does not mean simply widening access to modern  European languages”

In 2021, Ofsted published a report into the state of languages in UK schools. It begins with lofty ambition – the second line declares that learning a language is ‘a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures’ – but soon runs aground on the grim statistics of student disengagement, writes Barry Mansfield of Halcyon London International School, Marylebone.

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International students are the key to the future of British science

“International students in the UK directly contribute to cutting edge research and the development of new technologies”

Britain is one of just five countries in the world to have developed a WHO-approved vaccine against Covid-19, a triumph that would not have been possible without the countless hours contributed to the project by international students, says Study Group’s James Pitman.

The UK has earned its place as a global science hub, but the government plans to go even further, turning the country into a “science and technology superpower”. This ambitious goal is achievable, but only if we continue to welcome international students and empower them to work side by side with the top British minds in academia and research.

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How is international learning shifting?

“For international education to move effectively to a blended model involving both online and physical campuses, it is not just teaching approaches that need to be considered”

Digital advancements have given universities an innovative way of offering international learning to students who may not be in the position to move abroad. Whether it is due to family commitments or financial reasons, students can gain an internationally recognised degree regardless of their ability to travel.

With Arden University partnering with its first international partner, Roots Ivy International College, to offer students in Pakistan the ability to gain a UK degree earlier this year, Debra Hinds, associate pro-vice-chancellor of Partnerships at Arden University writes about how international learning is shifting, the opportunities at hand and how universities can aim to give a better learning experience for international students.

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