英国大学领导人警告高等教育部门正陷入财政危机，原因是国际学生招生的严重萎缩。[1]根据英国内政部数据，截至7月的学生签证申请同比下降11%，[1]部分大学预计其国际入学人数可能下跌30%。[1]这一生源危机的经济影响不容小觑——国际学生数量减少已导致英国经济损失近30亿英镑，[1]每5名国际学生流失可能影响1个大学工作岗位。[1]
大学领导们将矛头指向政府政策，呼吁重新考虑对国际学生征收的税费政策。[1]目前大学需为每名国际学生支付£925的税费，[1]而国内学生费用自2017年以来一直冻结在£9,250。[1]伦敦国王学院副校长Shitij Kapur表示这些数字"符合悲观预期"，[1]前大学部长David Willetts更是直言存在大学"倒闭"的风险。[1]埃克塞特大学已取消其康沃尔彭里恩校区的地理课程。[1]技能部长Jacqui Smith回应称政府关注大学课程的价值，表示未来学费提高将与教学质量挂钩。[1]
British university leaders have warned that higher education faces a financial crisis due to a sharp decline in international student enrollment.[1] According to data from the UK Home Office, student visa applications fell 11 percent year-on-year as of July, with some universities expecting international admissions to drop by as much as 30 percent.[1] University leaders have called on the government to reconsider tax policies imposed on international student fees, cautioning that the downturn could result in university closures and course reductions.[1]
The decline in international students has cost the UK economy nearly 3 billion pounds.[1] Each five international students supports one university job.[1] Universities are also required to pay a 925-pound fee per international student, further straining institutional budgets.[1] Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor of King's College London, stated that the figures "align with pessimistic expectations."[1] Former universities minister David Willetts has warned of the risk that some universities may "close."[1]
The pressures on higher education come at a time when domestic tuition remains constrained; undergraduate fees in the UK have been frozen at 9,250 pounds since 2017.[1] Exeter University has already responded to the financial strain by canceling its geography program at its Penryn campus in Cornwall.[1] Skills Minister Jacqui Smith indicated that the government is focused on assessing the value universities provide, suggesting that any future fee increases will be tied to teaching quality.[1]