Students Respond to Lord Browne's Proposals

Further to the publication of Lord Browne's report last week, there has been a lot of reflection on how this will impact upon future students' higher education choices. We have deliberately kept a low profile on this matter for the time being because the implications are far wider than increasing the likelihood of Brits going abroad.

The Student Room website has just published a survey of 1300 students (it is unclear how many of these students are still to enter university) and their assessment of Lord Browne's recommendations. While it is clear that the Lib Dems won't be winning many friends amongst the young, there are some other results which corroborate what we have been hearing from other sources.

73% of all students will look abroad when thinking about their higher education choices. Admittedly, for many English students abroad seems to mean Scotland but there are signs that a wide range of countries from USA to Netherlands could be about to benefit from increasing applications from British students.

We will see whether this materialises. However, it is clearer than ever that schools must offer advice about international higher education as one of the range of options open to their students.

More British Students Going to the USA

Yesterday the US based Institute for International Education published its annual survey in to the number of international students studying at US universities. Open Doors 2009 shows that there has been an increase of 4% in the number of Brits in US higher education to 8,701. This includes students at all levels from diploma courses up to and including postgraduate study. The UK remains the 15th most important market for US Higher Education Institutions.

From our own research we can tell that the United States is still the most interesting destination for British students but many cannot take advantage of the opportunity to study there for their full undergraduate degree, primarily for financial reasons. This is unlikely to change in the midst of the current recession. The forthcoming increase in English tuition fees, however, could very easily narrow the gap in cost between British and US higher education, particularly at institutions where academic scholarships are available.

According to the Fulbright Commission's analysis of the Open Doors 2009 survey, there has been a moderate, 3% rise in students enrolled on full undergraduate courses in the USA but a 21% rise in non-degree programmes, including short term programmes such as summer schools and university exchanges.

The five most popular US institutions for British students are Harvard University, University of Central Florida, New York University, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. As three of these universities are Ivy League schools it is clear that British students are mostly attracted to elite American higher education. The University of Central Florida and NYU are also highly respected universities in geographic locations likely to appeal to British students.

There is potential for a wider range of US universities to attract British students at undergraduate level; US efforts to recruit British students are only just scratching the surface at the moment. Because of the sheer number of US study abroad students who want to come to the UK (33,353 in 2007-08), US universities can benefit twice over from raising their profile in this country: firstly, through an increase in direct enrollments; and, secondly, by increasing demand amongst potential exchange students leading to an increase in the British-based partners they are able to offer their own students.

British students and their advisors currently have little awareness of the vast majority of US universities. While many are interested to attend events such as the recent USA College Day in London, very few arrive at such events with any knowledge of the institutions they will meet. We believe that a concerted approach throughout the year works better than a short term visit to these shores and that is the reason we developed the A Star Future promotional campaign. You are welcome to contact us if you would like to learn more about our initiatives.

Shortage of Places in UK Universities Set to Continue

According to an article in The Guardian yesterday, students applying to start university next autumn face a battle for places that will be even tougher than in 2009. Universities have been ordered to cap the number of extra places at just 10,000. These places will not be evenly spread between all institutions. In fact, the majority will be allocated to non-traditional higher education institutions rather than elite universities.

There was already extra pressure in the application procedure as a result of the approximately 50,000 students who failed to get a place at their chosen university this year. With so many students reapplying and already possessing the grades necessary for acceptance at good universities, those entering the Ucas process this year could find it even harder than usual to obtain a place. So far this autumn, there has already been a 15% increase in registrations with Ucas.

British universities will be unable to meet the demand for 2010 admissions, particularly as many expansion plans have been placed on hold as a result of the funding crisis in higher education. It is somewhat ironic that a government that campaigned on a mantra of “Education, Education, Education” will probably leave office unable to satisfy the demand that it created. The Conservatives main policy to address the funding crisis was announced this week at its party conference: discounts for the early repayment of student loans. This may very well increase funding for more than 10,000 places but it is unlikely to address the structural issues which restrict the expansion of higher education. As a result, there are likely to be admissions restrictions of one kind or another for much of the length of the next parliament.

So, what are the alternatives? We believe that young people should not be putting their lives on hold waiting for a place at a British university as a result of a financial situation that is beyond their control. We also believe that students should be looking at higher education with a harder focus. Whether it be a desire to advance in a particular profession, or a yearning to study a particular subject in depth, students need to be clear about why it is they wish to pursue higher education. Once this decision is made, however, we would suggest that students begin to look outside the United Kingdom for the solution.

Interest in the best US higher education has been growing in recent years. Awareness of universities in Europe is also increasing, particularly now that there is such a focus on the cost of tuition in this country. Countries such as the Netherlands (average fees c.€1,600) or Denmark (no fees) are starting to offer the kinds of courses that will attract international students. Other universities in Europe such as Universita Bocconi, CERAM Business School and Prague College offer education at a slightly lower or similar price to English universities. All of these institutions have their own areas of excellence and some of them measure up very favourably to the best British universities when comparing rankings.

Students wishing to pursue medicine and veterinary science have long been used to the extreme pressure for places at British universities. One Polish medical university indicated to me at the recent EAIE conference that applications from Britain have increased by 400% this year. As more subjects become restricted, we fully expect to see this trend expand to all areas of higher education.

We could very well be entering a period where not only is it sensible for students to know about international higher education opportunities, it is also essential.