This month, we were back in Parliament, making sure student voices were heard where it matters most. Our Equity and Inclusion Officer, Eda, Education Officer, Sarah, and International Students Officer, Vanessa joined MPs and Lords for the first All-Party Parliamentary Group for Students of the year - all hosted in Westminster and convened by the National Union of Students.
This forum brings together policymakers and student leaders to shape the future of higher education - and we’re proud to have been right at the table. Earlier this year, we fed into the Commission on Students in Higher Education, and we’re glad to see some of the proposals we have been advocating for in the reforms announced by government.
Chaired by Alex Sobel MP, the APPG provides a unique opportunity for students to speak directly to policymakers. We were also joined by Josh Dean MP, Member of Parliament for Hertford and Stortford, who shared insights on the proposed changes to universities and their potential impact.
Spotlight on the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper
Eda, Sarah, and Vanessa raised serious concerns about the government’s proposed changes to student finance, fees and support and the impact this will have, including:
- The £42 million a year impact the proposed international student levy will have on UCL and the concern we have that this will impact on the student experience, warning that it risks ‘othering’ international students and undermining equity and inclusion.
- Linking quality to home student fees which risks excluding students from lower-income backgrounds from some universities deemed to be of higher quality who will be able to charge higher prices
- Maintenance grants that will only be open to students from the lowest-income households that are studying courses that the Government considers supportive of its "missions and Industrial Strategy".
- That household income thresholds, which are used to decide maintenance allowances for home students, have been frozen for 18 years
We also explored the challenges faced by our students including:
- Balancing study with work commitments
- The challenges commuting students face engaging with student life
- Ensuring fairness and access for all students
"International students contribute over £41.8 billion annually to the UK economy, subsidise vital research and enrich our competitiveness. Yet the proposed levy risks sending the message that we’re valued more for our fees than for our contributions.
Many international students are already under financial pressure, with 29% having faced homelessness and over half expressing concern about rising tuition fees. On top of recent cuts to the Graduate Route, introducing a 6% levy would only worsen this and make the UK less competitive globally. If the UK wants to remain a leading destination for international talent, it must invest in students - not place further financial barriers in their way."
Vanessa Burmeister, International Students' Officer
What’s next?
We’re continuing to meet with MPs and Lords to push for a fairer, more inclusive higher education system - one that truly supports every student. We’ve been discussing these reforms with student representatives through our student democracy meetings (which we call zones).
If you’d like to share your thoughts on the proposed changes and help shape our response, reach out to your officers team or come along to one of our zones.