International students respond to new economic benefit report

As the government announced new curbs on immigration this week, meaning that international postgraduate students on non-research courses will no longer be able to bring family members to the UK, latest figures reveal that the economic contribution made by international students has risen by more than £10 million in the past four years.

But writing for HE debate forum, WonkHE, Newcastle University Masters student, Sára Kozáková, says that while the financial aspect is significant, the cultural contribution made by international students to our campuses and communities is even more important.

Read Sára’s blog: International students are more than numbers on a spreadsheet

The report, The costs and benefits of international higher education students to the UK, published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), Universities UK International (UUKi) and Kaplan International Pathways in collaboration with London Economics, shows that the economic benefit of international students rose from £31.3bn to £41.9bn between 2018-19 and 2021-22.

The North East is one of the regions to benefit most from the financial contribution made by international students. Our region is second only to London and Scotland in terms of net impact per resident (£640) and Newcastle East is now top in England per resident at £2,560.

The figures show that, even when accounting for dependants and other costs, international students are a huge net contributor to the UK economy.