The government’s change to international student fees will cost these 30 UK unis the most

Right, so the government finally unveiled the new budget yesterday. Politicians are making lots of changes to how UK unis and student finance will work. The current plan is for a levy on international student fees. Different UK unis will be more or less screwed by this, depending on how many international students they have. Here’s a closer look at which UK unis the international student levy will cost the most money.

So, the levy will start off at £925 per student in August 2028, then rise with inflation. 220 students per uni or higher education college will be exempt. The levy is supposed to fund new “means-tested maintenance grants” for UK students from lower income households. Students definitely need help with money, as the current maintenance loans don’t actually cover the cost of living in several UK unis cities. However, some higher education experts are concerned that this levy could cost unis loads of money, and so lead to more course closures and job cuts. The Department of Education estimated 14,000 fewer international students might choose to study in the UK in 2028, and lots of UK unis really rely on their higher tuition fees.

Wonkhe worked out exactly how much money the proposed levy would cost each UK uni and college per year. BPP is a private university, by the way, which is why you might not have heard of it before. Plenty of Russell Group unis are on the list, including Oxbridge. The University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and other more famous unis tend to attract more international students.

So, here are the 30 UK unis which the proposed levy on international student fees could cost the most money.

30. Nottingham Trent University – £6,239,125

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29. University of Cambridge – £6,359,375

Cambridge colleges still have loads of money tied up in land and investments

28. City St George’s, University of London (formerly City, University of London) – £6,364,000

27. University of Westminster – £6,632,250

26. Northumbria University – £6,701,625

25. University of Nottingham – £6,821,875

24. Anglia Ruskin University – £6,831,125

23. University of Exeter – £6,854,250,

22. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) – £7,201,125

21. University of Liverpool – £7,256,625

20. University of the West of England Bristol (UWE Bristol) – £7,307,500

Real life Bristol students

19. Teeside University – £7,603,500

18. De Montfort University – £7,672,875

17. Queen Mary University of London – £7,719,125

16. University of East London – £7,857,875

15. University of Oxford – £8,815,250

14. University of Birmingham – £8,852,250

13. University of Southampton – £9,194,500

12. University of Bristol – £9,199,125

11. University of Sheffield – £9,541,375

10. University of Warwick – £9,610,750

9. Imperial College London – £10,124,125

8. University of Greenwich – £10,267,500

The unbelievably aesthetic University of Greenwich campus

7. University of the Arts London (UAL) – £11,067,625

6. University of Leeds – £12,469,000

5. King’s College London (KCL) – £13,440,250

4. University of Manchester – £16,853,500

3. University of Hertfordshire – £17,075,500

2. BPP University – £21,557,125

1. University College London (UCL) – £24,461,625

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Featured image of the UAL by Entangle.