Petition calling for financial compensation for international students reaches 11k signatures

The petition was launched by an LUU officer along with others from the Russell Group


A petition calling on the Government to financially compensate international students for the disruption to the current academic year has passed 11,000 signatures.

The petition was launched on Tuesday by LUU International Officer Jian Feng along with other officers from other Russell Group unis.

The petition reads: “The UK Government must compensate International students for tuition fees for the academic year 2020/21.

“Lockdowns have had a massive impact on quality of teaching and student experience of international students.

“It is vital for UK Government to provide at least partial compensation.”

Annual tuition fees for international students are often around £20,000, and in light of the current unstable economic climate, many are struggling to shell out for this enormous cost.

LUU International Officer Jian Feng told The Leeds Tab: “Most international students’ tuition fees are paid by their parents without any financial support from the Government.

“During the pandemic, universities cannot afford to refund students’ tuition fees, and so they encouraged us to contact the Government to ask for financial support.

“I think the government should be doing more to provide financial support to students, in the same way they have been supporting businesses and organisations.

“By doing this I believe we can raise awareness in society of the issues facing international students, who are already paying so much in fees than home students and face more challenges studying in a foreign country.

“Higher education should not be a luxury for our students.”

If you would like to sign the petition, just follow this link.

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