British universities accused of lowering entry standards for international students

Many UK universities have been accused of giving low entry scores to students from Asia, Africa and the Middle East because these groups pay tuition fees twice as high as domestic students.

The Sunday Times accused 15 of 24 Russell Group universities (top public research universities) of lowering entry standards and creating "back doors" for international students to increase revenue, in late January. The newspaper's information showed that the schools hired agents to recruit students in the Middle East, Africa and Asia for international foundation courses costing £16,000 (492 million VND) and paid them 20% of the tuition fee.

International students are typically required to take a foundation course before they can start their degree. The allegations allege that they only need to achieve grades C and D in their A-level exams (used for university entrance in the UK) to get into the course and then transfer. Meanwhile, domestic students must achieve grades A and A+ to get into university.

The Sunday Times cited the University of York as asking staff to be "more flexible" in accepting international students with low grades, while recruitment agents for Durham and Exeter universities claimed that international students with poor grades could easily gain full admission, through foundation courses.

In the secretly recorded video, one recruitment agent said: "International students pay more and universities get almost double, so they spend more time on international students." Another likened foundation courses to a "back door" for international students to get into UK universities.

The universities said the allegations were unfounded. Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK (UUK), said foundation programmes, designed to prepare students for a degree, had their own admissions process and different entry requirements to mainstream courses.

“Foundation programmes do not guarantee entry to a university. The Sunday Times did not distinguish between the two programmes in terms of entry requirements,” she said, adding that most UUK members also run foundation courses for British students, with the same entry requirements as international students.

A corner of Durham University campus. Photo: Durham University — A corner of Durham University campus. Photo: *Durham University*

In addition, universities criticised the Sunday Times report for ignoring figures showing an increase in the number of domestic students studying at Russell Group universities. In the 2021-2022 academic year, the number of domestic students increased by more than 41,000, while international students fell by more than 7,300 compared to the previous year, according to a report by the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa).

To address the allegations, UUK said it would commission a rapid review of its foundation courses by the Quality Assurance Agency, comparing entry requirements for international and domestic students. It would also review the use of recruitment agents and update its rules for recruiting international students.

“Students, families and the government must have confidence that the system is fair, transparent and robust,” UUK said.

Universities in the UK have relied heavily on income from international students since 2016. The government has kept undergraduate tuition fees for domestic students below £9,250 a year. However, universities are free to raise fees for international students, which can be as high as £40,000 a year. A Guardian investigation last year found that international student income accounted for a fifth of many universities’ income.

Doan Hung
(According to Daily Mail, Guardian, The Tab, Times Higher Education )

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