More than 300 students at the Royal College of Art, two-thirds of them from abroad, launched a tuition fee strike in January. The international students, who pay £29,000 a year for a master’s course at the RCA, took action despite fearing their visas may be revoked. After a letter from the college threatening them with suspension, some backed down, but the vice-chancellor, Paul Thompson, confirmed in a meeting on 4 March that 93 students had still not paid. Students were told in an email this week that they would be suspended if they refuse to pay fees or come to an arrangement.
The students are angry that the institution actually increased its fees this year during the pandemic, despite vital practical work in studios and workshops being curtailed, as they have not received the immersive experience they are paying for.
Meanwhile, at SOAS University of London, where overseas undergraduates pay £18,630 a year, about 100 students are withholding fees; a strike is also under way at Goldsmiths, University of London.
A new petition demanding tuition fee compensation for abroad students has received nearly 25,000 signatures in just over a week. Most UK students’ fees, of £9,250 a year, are paid to universities by the Student Loans Company, so they cannot withhold tuition moneys without dropping out. However, high fee paying international students and master’s students pay direct, and are showing that they can protest by hitting their universities’ reserves.
