China has been a leading source of international students in the UK, and UK universities are stepping up efforts to ensure students can travel to the UK and return in time for classes. A rising number of UK universities — including Russell Group institutions — are chartering flights for Chinese students next month. This comes amid fears that global travel restrictions could cost hundreds of millions of pounds in overseas fees.
Over 50 UK universities, including Imperial College London, the University of Bristol and the University of Exeter, have already chartered four flights to bring in 1,200 Chinese students in time to start their degrees next month. Income from international students is estimated to be worth over a billion pounds.
Airport transfers between Heathrow and UK campuses are reportedly being organised, as well as accommodation and food supplies for the students who, under current restrictions, will need to isolate on campus for 10 days on arrival.
Some 220,000 Chinese students are studying in the UK. Across the Russell Group, one in every 10 students is Chinese, and they provide nearly a fifth of all tuition fee income, worth an estimated £1.3 billion every year, said the report. International students in the UK pay nearly four times the fees paid by their British counterparts.
Data from Universities UK show that Chinese students make up the largest cohort of international students in the UK, with 139,130 studying in the UK in 2019-2020. China is followed by 52,545 students from India and 19,940 from the US. Italian and French students are the two largest cohorts from the EU with 13,605 and 13,430 students respectively studying in the UK in 2019-2020.
