SE ETARY OF STATE'S MEETING WITH HIGH COMMISSIONERS
21 NOVEMBER 1984
OVERSEAS STUDENTS
ESSENTIAL FACTS
1.
The decision to introduce full cost fees in 1979 resulted
in a substantial reduction in the number of overseas students coming
to Britain for higher and further education as the following
figures show :-
1979-80
1980-81 1981-82 1982-83
Commonwealth Students
43,400
38,500
32,400
27,700
Non-Commonwealth
Students
37,300
80,700
32,200 27,700 25,900
70,700 60,100 53,600
was less
The decline in all higher education in enrolments drastic for the same period : 55,800 in 1979/80 to 46,000
in 1982/83.
2. A number of factors have helped reduce the impact of rising
tuition fees on overseas student numbers.
(i)
Overseas students are affected by total costs not simply tuition fees
(ii)
The exchange rate. Recent data show that the total cost-
of higher education in the UK compares favourably with other
countries such as the United States, France, Germany and Australia.
(iii) Britain is not alone in charging higher fees for overseas
students. New Zealand and Australia have now followed suit.
(iv) Under-graduate courses in Britain are for 3 years as
opposed to 4 years in many other countries.
3. The full cost fees policy has been criticised by many Commonwealth countries who have pressed for the concession of
home fee students for their students. But the cost would be
/prohibitive