Drop in foreign student numbers: are UK universities too complacent?

Global competition for international students is growing – the UK needs to start treating them as people and learners, not numbers

For the first time in 29 years the number of international students enrolling in England's universities decreased. In 2013, there was a 50% drop in the number of postgraduate students coming from India and Pakistan, and close to a 25% drop in the number of students who enrolled from the EU compared with last year.

Foreign students don't feel welcome in Britain

Higher education recruitment has become a political issue. Stricter visa regimes for foreign students were implemented in April 2012. International students have fewer opportunities to work in the UK after they finish their degree, and it has become more challenging for partners of students to work and study. Combined with the government's stance on immigration, Britain does not seem a welcoming place for many international students. Taking a tough stance on immigration for the domestic market also sends signals abroad.

Significant drops in high-fee-paying international students puts staff jobs at risk across the UK higher education sector. There is particular danger to subjects linked to the modern knowledge economy, including science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem), which are dominated by international students, particularly at the postgraduate level. This adds to recent instability of funding across the sector. The consequent need for institutions to cut costs is likely to decrease the quality of education on offer.

Are UK universities becoming too complacent?

It is an increasingly competitive global market for international students. Over half of internationally mobile students are from Asia, but new recruiters such as Spain, Russia and Korea are entering the student market. Malaysia, a developing international hub for education, is now a net importer of international students. Japan hosts over four times as many students as it sends abroad, and in South Africa 12 students enter the country for every one that goes overseas. Given the competition, UK universities may be falling into patterns of complacency and one-way exchanges.

Across UK higher education, the student experience is gaining attention. However, the international student experience is often forgotten or ignored. There is no "inter" in internationalisation for many students who enrol in institutions with little interest in diverse cultures or ways of knowing. Institutions are not supportive of the holistic student experience, often leaving co-curricular activities to underfunded student unions. International students are often denied internships, placements and other opportunities that would enhance their employability. The lack of support leaves international students feeling that they pay more and are treated worse than home students, which is reflected in lower international student satisfaction scores.

Talk of negative experiences spreads fast

International students' difficulty in acclimating and feeling welcome is seen across higher education staff as well. There is a lack of diversification of staff. Of the UK's 18,510 university professors, just 85 are black, and only 12.8% of academic staff are from a known ethnic minority background. Furthermore, among international student communities there are concerns about safety, reports of students being treated suspiciously, even detained and searched. Talk of such negative experiences passes quickly through tight-knit ethnic communities in the UK and abroad.

International students are seeking a high-quality education, and while the teaching and learning and standards of degrees are seen as high, the UK lacks support for transition into higher education and then into employment. To change this, integration needs to be improved between schools and universities, as well as between universities and employers. The sector needs to acknowledge the global student market, and that the world is opening up.

Institutions need to diversify, both in terms of hiring diverse staff and broadening student recruitment. The government needs to welcome international students and the benefit they bring to cultural diversity, driving the Stem agenda forward and supporting the UK higher education sector. But most importantly, international students need to be treated as people and learners, not numbers on a balance sheet.

- theguardian.com