Elite universities will turn away increasing numbers of UK students over the next few years in favour of more lucrative international applicants, experts and vice chancellors are warning.
Tuition fees for home students have been frozen at £9,250 a year since 2017. But as a result of rising inflation experts calculate that their real value has now plummeted to £6,000 – the equivalent of fees in 2010 – which universities say is significantly less than it costs to teach the average student. Many universities, especially at the elite end of the sector, have been increasing their number of international students to compensate for these losses.
