On Wednesday, 29 October, the APPG for International Students convened a timely roundtable in Parliament, to discuss the impact of the proposed International Student Levy. With students still digesting the implications of the recent International Skills Levy proposal, the event brought together leading voices from across higher education to explore its potential impact.
Eda, your Equity & Inclusion Officer and Vanessa, your International Students' Officer joined other Russell Group Students’ Union Officers at the round table to make sure international students’ voices from UCL are being heard.
The discussion, chaired by Lord Bilimoria and Abtisam Mohamed MP, centred on how the levy could reshape the international student experience, influence institutional financial strategies, and affect the attractiveness of UK higher education.
The discussion focused on the impact this levy would have on students across the country
Cost-sharing and price sensitivity
Speakers raised concerns about assumptions underpinning the levy - particularly the notion that international students are insensitive to price and if universities were to pass costs on they could afford it.
Anne Marie Graham from UKCISA highlighted that many students take out loans or spend savings to study in the UK, and that cost is a significant factor in their decision-making. According to Russell Group Students’ Union data 84% of international students currently worry about money and we expect this levy could only make things worse.
Institutional impact and financial modelling
Charley Robinson and Philippa Collins Robson stressed that no institution is insulated from the financial effects of the levy. The inability for most universities to absorb costs within existing budgets means the burden would likely fall on students, potentially undermining the UK’s competitiveness.
The modelling from Public First shows suggests the levy could result in:
- The sector will lose over 16,100 international students in the first year the levy is introduced.
- In financial terms, such a decline in student numbers would see an approximately £240 million loss in fee income in the first year the levy was introduced.
- Over 5 years, the total number of international student enrollments could decrease by over 77,000 students, and could cost the sector around £2.2bn.
- Were the reduction in international student revenue paid for entirely by reducing subsidised domestic students, there would be 135,000 fewer domestic places over 5 years.
Social and economic contributions
NUS’s Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan described the levy as a “self-inflicted wound,” warning it risks pitting students against each other and undervaluing their net contribution. We also highlight this tension in our submission to the Treasury ahead of the Autumn Statement.
Policy clarity and evidence-based decision making
There was consensus that any policy must be grounded in robust impact assessments and should aim to strengthen, not diminish, the contribution of international students. As one speaker aptly put it: “For a policy to be good, it needs to be good for someone.”
Contributions by your Students' Union
Eda, your Equity and Inclusion Officer, spoke at the round table of the important contributions international students make:
“UCL is the largest on campus university in the UK, with over fifty-five thousand students - and more than half are international. I’m one of them, now in my fifth year here. UCL already has some of the highest tuition fees in the country, and this proposed levy, costing around £42 million, would hit us the hardest.
I’ve studied alongside people whose parents have given up everything, their savings, their stability, just to give their children a world-class education. These students work part-time on minimum wage, limited to twenty hours a week, while being expected to thrive academically and build a life here.
The UK has benefited enormously from international students, not just economically, but through the culture, ideas, and energy they bring. But policies like this make us feel less like contributors and more like targets. Many are already looking elsewhere, to countries where they can study for a fraction of the cost and feel genuinely welcome.
This has the potential to turn education from a shared experience into a privilege only a few can afford.”
What's next?
The roundtable marked an important moment in this debate. With a Westminster Hall session scheduled for December and ongoing engagement with ministers including Jackie Smith, we want to ensure international students remain at the heart of UK higher education policy.