Report suggests 15% cap on year abroad fees

A government report by Professor Colin Riordan, Chair of the UK HE International Unit, suggested that the cap on fees for year abroads should be 15% of the fee charged for a normal year, which is £9000 for most Imperial undergraduate courses. This means that the fee would be £1350, which could be seen as an incentive for students to save money by going on a year abroad.

The new limit would be a decrease in the current figure charged by Imperial, which is 50%.

The aim of the reduced cap is to boost the number of students gaining international experience from overseas study.

The cap would apply to all students doing a year abroad inside or outside of the EU. Professor Riordan commented: “Studying, working or volunteering abroad increases the employability and financial rewards for students in the international labour market. Despite this the UK ranks just 25th in the world for the number of students studying overseas.” David Willetts, Universities and Science Minister, praised year abroad schemes as offering a “huge range of benefits for students taking part” and that they also help “our universities and the wider UK economy”.

At the minute, it is only a suggestion and not a law. Therefore universities are not obliged to charge the suggested 15% cap.

Comment on year abroad scheme by Doug Hunt, Deputy President (Education).