Number of European students soars by a third in a decade

By Graeme Paton, Education Editor

A record 125,000 students from European Union member states claimed places at higher education institutions last year – a rise of some 35,000 compared with a decade ago.
 

The increase was around twice as fast as the rise in admissions among British students.
 

Undergraduates from the EU are subsidised by the taxpayer and are eligible for the same low-interest Government loans as those taken out by British counterparts.
 

They also count towards the strict cap on university places — putting them in direct competition with applicants from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
 

But the figures – from an annual report published by Universities UK, the vice-chancellors’ group – show EU students still account for just one-in-20 of the total number of places.
 
It also emerged that the biggest rise in admissions was among foreign students from outside Europe who do not count towards Government number controls and can be charged much higher tuition fees. In some cases, they are charged eight times as much as those from Britain and Europe for the same course.
 
Some 280,760 international students were admitted to universities last year – more than double the number a decade ago.
 
This suggests that British universities are increasingly dependent on foreign fees to plug huge holes in the higher education budget.
 
The Universities UK report also showed:

• Student fees now account for almost a third of universities’ income, compared with less than a quarter a decade ago, as the level of direct state funding has dropped;
 
• The impact of the recession has also led to a drop of almost 40 per cent in the amount of money claimed from endowment and investment funds;
 
• The downturn has prompted a recent decline in the number of students graduating with decent jobs;
 
• Students are also much more likely to study practical subjects leading directly to good careers, with the number of entrants for courses in architecture, veterinary science, maths, physical sciences, agriculture and biological sciences all increasing by a quarter over seven years;
 
• Subjects showing declines – or below-average increases – in entrants included languages, history and philosophy.
 
The report provides authoritative data covering more than 130 universities and higher education colleges across Britain.
 
Figures show that the total number of students – including postgraduates and undergraduates - has increased by 28 per cent over the last decade to almost 2.5 million.
 
The number of British students has increased by les s than the average - 20.6 per cent - to just over 2m. At the same time, EU students have increased by almost 40 per cent to 125,045.
 
Students from the EU now account for five per cent of the total, compared with 4.6 per cent a decade earlier.
 
Some 7,260 undergraduates taking first degree were from France, 6,800 from Germany, 6,740 from Ireland, 5,490 from Poland and 4,745 from Greece.
 
From next year, undergraduates from Britain and Europe will be charged up to £9,000 in fees – almost three times the existing £3,375 maximum.
 
Experts have already warned that the Coalition’s new fees regime will contribute to a “haemorrhaging” of taxpayers’ money to Europe
 
Latest figures show the amount of money owed by European graduates soared from £42m in 2008 to £167m just a year later.
 
But it is feared that the fee rise will lead to a significant rise in the losses as students are forced to borrow even more money to cover the price of degree courses.
 
Bahram Bekhradnia, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, told Times Higher Education magazine that it was “likely that many EU students will never pay back their loans”.
Telegraph