UCL forced to rely on international students to cover cost of undergraduate courses

UCL President and Provost Dr Michael Spence revealed the education of British undergraduates is supported by international and postgraduate student fees at UCL and other institutions.

Home student tuition fees alone fail to cover the cost of providing undergraduate courses.

Concern over the future funding of undergraduate courses continues to rise.

UCL has a record-breaking 42,000 students

A comprehensive spending review to be published next month is expected to shortly create changes to higher education funding in England. Many in the industry have speculated potential cuts to undergraduate tuition fees as well as restrictions to what the education secretary calls “low value” courses.

Dr Spence said: “We would be exposed to an absolute drop in the undergraduate fee. There is no course at UCL where the undergraduate fee covers the cost of providing the course.

“So we’re already supporting the education of British undergraduates with both international student and postgraduate student fees.”

As President and Provost of the UK’s largest university, Dr Spence advised the English government against following Australia in using international student fees to fund universities.

“It’s really important that the UK doesn’t go down the Australia route in that way,” he said. “Australia digs things out of the ground and grows things and has clever people. England only has clever people, it doesn’t have anything else. So making sure that innovation and research are protected and fostered is really important.”

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