‘International student economy in UK worth 42 billion’, says vice-chancellor of Leeds Beckett University

We spoke to Professor Peter Slee, the vice-chancellor of Leeds Beckett University.

Ciaran Jenkins: Do you agree with those visa rule changes that the last government brought in?

Peter Slee: I think they were political changes, weren’t they, based on a particular view about immigration. Universities are part of a much bigger society so we have to work with the changes that have come through. What I would say, is that the international student economy in the UK is worth £42 billion. Where we’re sat today, it’s half a billion in this part of Leeds and I think that this is a consideration that the current government will be taking into account.

Ciaran Jenkins: But in 2019, 9,000 family members came on student related visas. In 2023, 102,000 family members came. Do you think that was too high?

Peter Slee: It’s difficult to say. It depends on the impact that those dependents had on the UK economy. There have been analyses that say that international students are making a phenomenal contribution to the UK economy, and those dependants were part of that too.

Ciaran Jenkins: So should the new government reverse those changes?

Peter Slee: Well it has got to decide, I think, whether international students, who we see as contributors to the economy, really should be treated in the same way as illegal migrants.

Ciaran Jenkins: What do you think?

Peter Slee: I think not. And I think that the impact on the UK economy and the role that international students play in our economy and in soft power, is something worth preserving and developing.

Ciaran Jenkins: The new government says international students should be treated like valued guests rather than political footballs. But they said the government is committed to managing migration carefully. So have you had any indication that they’re thinking of changing course?

Peter Slee: What the government has said, and it’s made overtures to other foreign governments and ambassadors, to make it clear that international students who are well qualified and who can pay the fees here and sustain themselves in the UK, are very, very welcome for the contribution that they bring.

Ciaran Jenkins: Some universities have 50 or even 60 per cent of their students coming from overseas. Have you, as universities, left yourselves overexposed?

Peter Slee: I think the average across the UK is about 26 per cent.

Ciaran Jenkins: That’s still a lot though isn’t it?

Peter Slee: It is, but if I look at some of the great centres of learning, international centres of learning, it’s not a surprise, is it, that those organisations attract some of the brightest people from all over the globe? The challenge, of course, the higher the international student numbers you take, if there is an overall decline, then that’s more difficult financially to manage.

Ciaran Jenkins: University fees then. Put it on the line. Do you think tuition fees paid for by students in England and Wales should increase?

Peter Slee: Again, it’s a political question. I don’t think an increase in student fees would necessarily be welcomed by everyone that would need to pay them. There are alternative approaches to funding universities and to get the balance between individual and taxpayer contributions.

Ciaran Jenkins: Would you put them up though?

Peter Slee: Would I put them up? I’d want to explore a range of options for funding a really successful sector sustainably in the future.

Ciaran Jenkins: You need the money.

Peter Slee: I think the money is always helpful, but we have a new government that’s reviewing its policy for universities and reviewing the impact that universities have on the broader economy. Again, it’s a political decision to be made.

Ciaran Jenkins: Money’s got to come from somewhere hasn’t it. And if we’re seeing fewer international students, we don’t want to put fees up, where is it going to come from? Are universities going to go bust?

Peter Slee: No, I don’t think so. I think there are painful adjustments that many organisations may have to make, in the same way that anyone reading the business pages would hear about Apple and Google and Marks and Spencers and British Steel at the moment. But going bust is a long way down the line, I think.