In a recent report published by The Times said that some of the top universities in the UK are allowing admission of foreign students with lower grades into their prestigious courses in return for extra fees. While normally British students need top grades to get into these courses, international students can get away with much lower grades, sometimes as low as C in their exams. These universities allegedly use secret routes to recruit these students, who pay higher fees than British students. Representatives from these universities were reportedly caught on camera discussing "back door" routes used to admit international students. They allegedly admitted that these routes were not publicised in the UK as British students wouldn't accept them.
These universities reportedly pay millions to agents who recruit wealthy foreign students for such courses, and some even have offices on campus. The above-mentioned special routes, called International Foundation and International Year One, allow foreign students to gain entry to a degree course with much lower grades than normal. They claim to help students catch up with their British counterparts, but they are easier to pass, and exams are considered ‘just as formalities’. These routes are so popular that universities often advertise their courses in other countries and use recruitment agencies too. Around 15 top universities offer these routes and some accept students with as little as a single D grade at A-level or five C grades at GCSE. Some universities even outsource recruitment to companies, who help students get into these courses against a hefty fee.
Whether the universities are making money or not, it is imperative to figure out whether the lesser-known subjects for which international students pay hefty amounts are being considered options by home students or not.
"The UK is home to some of the best universities in the world and studying for a degree can be immensely rewarding; but too many young people are being sold a false dream and end up doing a poor-quality course at the taxpayers' expense that doesn't offer the prospect of a decent job at the end of it," PM Sunak said last year. Universities have largely struggled to fill these seats in particular subjects post-Covid.
But, the biggest group of international students who deserve empathy are victims of scams where they pay higher fees to agents for top universities. Not knowing or evaluating the post-study lucrative result of the course, innocent students come and struggle in the UK. They cannot work for more than 20 hours a week as per rule, and they struggle to make ends meet. More importantly, they not just face language barriers but also witness cultural shocks and eventually barriers where they don’t fit in, because many of them do not speak English fluently. Sometimes they don’t even have food to eat!
Supporting this aftermath, Charan Singh Sekhon MBE, Founder and Chairman SEVA Trust UK told Asian Voice, “SEVA Trust UK team has been supporting Indian & other International students since Covid-19 pandemic started. Throughout Covid-19 years, we supported over 750 international students by providing them with free staple food & hot meals, helping with university fee and rental queries, liaising with universities about student issues, issuing hardship funds in exceptional situations and many other support initiatives.
“SEVA Trust is run by all unpaid volunteers and we operate without a single paid staff. We were the first charity in England to launch ‘adopt a student’ initiative where we connect an international student with a local family who comes from a similar cultural background. For example, an international student from Gujarat will be connected to a family from a Gujarati background. This helps students to have local support, guidance and social interactions whilst they are far away from their own families.
“Student challenges continue after Covid. During 2023 we supported over 35 students with a wide range of matters including food needs and fee and accommodation issues and our work continues.”
Recruitment agents also play a significant role in this process admit that the main reason universities offer these routes is “to make more money”. Therefore, amidst growing concerns about fairness and falling academic standards, universities have come forward to all types of educational backgrounds and systems. However, critics argue that these routes disadvantage British students and damage the reputation and standard of UK universities.
Who is the target?
International students who choose to come to the UK are mainly of three types. Some come from wealthy families, who have studied abroad for generations and it’s rather symbolic or family tradition for them to study abroad. They mostly return home after their course completion and are not fussed about the degree they study or the universities they choose to go to.
Then there are some international students who do not make the cut in prestigious institutes in India such as IIT and IIMs, due to fierce competition and capacity. They in turn choose to come abroad provided their family can afford the tuition fees through bank loans or otherwise. Some of them take up courses only after researching well so that they cater to their interest and ambition. These pupils often land jobs in the UK after completion of their degrees.
The third category of students are mainly the victims who suffer the most. This category involves ‘desperate’ students who are just looking to get out of their village or town, and often the only motivating reason is money. Some do not even pass their degrees. They take admissions in any available course that an agent is selling but fail to evaluate the merit of thd degree or course. Some run out of money mid-course and are seen to be reaching out to the diaspora for work and support, while others are vulnerable with dependant families who think it is easy to land job upon arriving in the UK. Sometimes their language proficiency is not up to scratch and they face immense struggle to stay alive without any monetary support from family. They often face discrimination and ostracisation from locals for failing to integrate, due to lack of manners and heavy language or cultural barriers.
Mugdha, a 20-year-old undergraduate student in London told the newsweekly, “As an Indian student, studying abroad has always been something I have looked forward to as a child and getting good grades was non-negotiable. A lot of students have been taking the money route to get into reputed universities. As a student who has the zeal to learn and thrive, I feel some people have different reasons for coming abroad but not only attain education therefore for the sake of that, they often end up making money a dominant factor and get through great universities. But in my opinion, I strongly believe that marks are not everything that takes you a long way, but it is the zeal to keep learning and thriving.”
Universities defend their position
Nitish Jain, Founder and President of the S P Jain Group (S P Jain London School of Management) explained to Asian Voice, “Top universities are compelled to take fee-paying international students for the sake of revenue. However, the deeper issue is the fee cap on domestic students which has not been raised for a decade despite a steep increase in costs. This needs to be corrected through government funding or fees being raised for domestic students.”
Starting January 2024, foreign postgraduate students enrolled in non-research courses will no longer be able to bring family members to the United Kingdom (UK). Previously, under the umbrella of the dependant visa, international students were allowed to bring their family members, including spouses to the UK, who could in turn work and support the family in the UK. These new restrictions only impact international students at the postgraduate level. Undergraduate students in the UK were already prohibited from bringing dependants with them.
In response to the article published in the Sunday Times on 27 January 2024, a Russell Group spokesperson told Asian Voice: "Foundation year programmes have long proved to be effective pathways to university for both international and UK students. Most of our members also run foundation courses specifically for UK students, with similar entry requirements, designed to support students from underrepresented groups to access higher education and bridge the gap between different educational backgrounds. Entry to main degree programmes from these courses is not guaranteed. The latest UCAS data shows domestic student numbers at Russell Group universities are rising faster than international student numbers. International students are an important part of our student body, bringing diverse perspectives that enrich the learning environment. Revenue from international students is reinvested into high-quality teaching and learning to benefit all students”.
Responding to the allegation, Vivienne Stern MBE, Chief Executive of Universities UK told the newsweekly in a statement: “International students are a key part of the success story that is UK higher education. The Sunday Times story fails to distinguish between entry requirements for International Foundation Years and full degrees. International Foundation Years are designed to prepare students to apply for full degree programmes. They do not guarantee entry to them. They are designed for students who come from different education systems where, in many cases, students might have completed 12 rather than 13 years of education. We entirely agree that the entry requirements for international and domestic students to full degree programmes should be equivalent. It is essential that the integrity of entry routes be protected. However, it must also be understood that entry routes for international students will reflect the diverse countries and education backgrounds that these students come from and that some will need bridging courses to enable them to progress to UK degrees.”
In a short survey for this story, Asian Voice learned that many international students who pursue courses abroad aren’t able to utilise the knowledge or skills they acquire in their careers after all. While the investigation puts agents under a spotlight, it is only pragmatic to assess that they offer courses that the universities anyway have available. So the yoke of this revenue generation also rests equally upon the institutions, not just the agents who lure international students into signing up for courses that may not benefit them at all.
