Fifth of UK universities’ income comes from overseas students, figures show

London: One in every five pounds received by UK universities last year came from international students, according to Guardian analysis that reveals the scale of the sector’s growing dependence on overseas tuition fees for financial survival.

With the annual dash to allocate university places for the next academic year about to begin, there are fears UK students could lose out to their overseas counterparts, whose higher fees have become critical to university budgets.

Tuition fees from international students now make up a third or more of the total income at some institutions, with many universities registering sharp increases in the proportion of their income from overseas students in recent years.

A dozen universities have seen growth of more than 15 percentage points, while the number of international students has increased in about 80% of UK universities since 2016-17, with 30 institutions recruiting double the number of overseas students.

At renowned specialist institutions, such as the Royal College of Art (RCA) and the University of the Arts London, tuition fees from EU and non-EU students made up more than half (54%) of total income in 2021-22, up from just over a third in 2016-17.

Meanwhile, the University for the Creative Arts, which also specialises in art and design, and the University of Hertfordshire have registered the biggest increases in international tuition fee income share, rising from 13% to 33% of total income in six years.

Prof Quintin McKellar, Hertfordshire’s vice-chancellor, said: “Overseas students bring vibrancy and energy to our universities. They support courses which we would be unable to offer to our UK students without their recruitment and they greatly support our university finances.”

The Guardian’s analysis of the latest data from the Higher Education Statistics Authority (Hesa), covering 155 universities, comes amid mounting concern about the growing reliance of the UK university sector on income from international students.

Universities can charge overseas students significantly higher tuition fees. An overseas undergraduate pays on average £22,000 a year, according to estimates by the British Council, which is used to offset the decreasing value of domestic fees that remain capped at £9,250, having barely increased since they were introduced in 2012.