Top universities are accused of ‘shunning British students’ in favour of lucrative foreign applicants during clearing
- Elite universities have been accused of pushing British students to the side
- Middle-class families are being ‘squeezed’ out of top university places
Elite universities are shunning British students in favour of lucrative foreign applicants, it is claimed.
The top institutions have been accused of ‘squeezing’ out middle-class families by offering hundreds of courses in clearing to international students.
They include Durham University, which has been advertising 90 available courses to foreign students but none to UK school leavers.
Liverpool University, meanwhile, flagged up 535 courses for international students but none for home-grown ones.
Universities are also facing increasing pressure to admit more applicants from socially deprived backgrounds. This has sparked fears that thousands of pupils will be left disappointed and fighting for a place at university when they get their A-level results on Thursday.
Durham University has been advertising 90 available courses to foreign students but none to UK school leavers
At York University, 214 places were advertised to overseas students, with 204 flagged to those in the UK
Liverpool University, meanwhile, flagged up 535 courses for international students but none for home-grown ones
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute think-tank, said: ‘Middle-class families are being squeezed, on the one side by international students who help university finances, and on the other by disadvantaged students, who help universities with their regulator [the Office for Students].
‘I want to see lots more international students and lots more disadvantaged students but it’s not clear why their enrolment should come at the cost of another group who are being given less choice.
‘It would be better for universities to be funded properly in order to lessen these trade-offs.’
Eleven of the leading Russell Group universities were found to be offering places on more courses to international students than British students, analysis of the University Colleges and Admissions Service (Ucas) website on Monday showed. At York University, 214 places were advertised to overseas students, with 204 flagged to those in the UK.
And at Leeds University, just 13 places were on offer to British students compared to 181 to those abroad.
With tuition fees frozen during a period of high inflation, universities are increasingly looking to foreign students as a way of sustaining funding.
Fees have been capped at £9,250 for domestic students but there is no limit for international students. Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel told the Daily Telegraph: ‘Our universities have a responsibility to support and nurture British students in their universities and they should be proud to invest in the next generation of graduates who will contribute to our society and country.
‘These important institutions are recognised and supported by Government to do so, and any suggestion of discrimination against British students should be investigated by my colleagues in Government.’
A Russell Group spokesman said: ‘Over three-quarters of our undergraduates are from the UK and the number of UK undergraduates has grown faster than international intakes in recent years.’
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