Business Schools speak of visa trouble

A group of business school deans and those responsible for international recruitment at 15 UK universities, including Imperial, were interviewed as part of a report which concluded that current visa rules are making study in the UK “difficult and unattractive”.

With almost 35% of the student body comprising of overseas students (not including EU countries) this is potentially problematic for Imperial due to the large contingent contributing £23,000+ each per year in tuition fees, and up to £36,000 for some medicine courses. A decrease in this huge chunk of income may lead to the financial burden either having to be taken up by home students or through a decrease in facilities and/or grants.

The wider economy may also be at risk too, with the report by CABS saying international students studying business alone contribute £2.4 billion to universities and the UK economy, with its latest figures showed that this was in decline.

Finances aside, the current visa controls mean countries like the US, Canada, and Australia, as well as European countries like Germany, are also attracting the better students. The UK’s policies could potentially decrease the overall quality of both research and teaching, a cornerstone of Imperial’s reputation.

Rankings earlier this year by the Financial Times rankings placed Imperial College Business School 35th best in the world and the fourth best in the UK, a slight fall internationally from 34th and a stagnation in the UK.