The University of York has told staff to take a “more flexible approach” to admitting overseas students with lower-than-expected grades, in the latest sign that UK higher education is facing severe recruitment and financial pressures.
Staff at the Russell Group university were told: “In response to the current financial challenges, the university has decided to lower its tariff for all departments and programmes for overseas applicants,” according to an email reported by the Financial Times.
While York maintains that a typical offer for undergraduate applicants requires A grades at A-level, the university will now admit some international applicants as undergraduates with the equivalent of B or C at A-level, while entry to postgraduate courses would require a 2:2 award or similar, rather than a 2:1.
A spokesperson for York said the move would bring international student admissions into line with the approach it used for UK students.
British universities increasingly rely on income from lucrative international student fees, with universities in England having seen tuition fees frozen for domestic students since 2016, and those in Scotland facing cuts in national government funding.
Meanwhile, the UK government is looking to reduce the number of visas issued to international students as a way of cutting immigration. This year it has removed the ability for many overseas students to be accompanied by family members.
A spokesperson for the University of York said: “The university has not lowered its entry grades for international students and they remain as advertised.
“The change in ‘tariff’ refers to a more flexible approach we are adopting to international offer-holders who miss their grades. We already take a flexible approach for home students after we receive their results.
“This enables us to remain competitive in a global market. It also allows us to take context and individual circumstances into account. This is important for both UK and international students, as we recognise that inequalities of place and background limit opportunities to evidence ability and potential.”
York said it had put extra resources, such as additional maths support, in place “for all students who are joining us with grades lower than their offer”.
A number of universities said they had had difficulties recruiting more international students as a result of the government’s policies, in the face of increased competition from rivals such as Canada and Australia.
Coventry University is one of the latest to protest, stating in its annual report last month: “The UK government’s response to issues around migration and the economy in recent months has had an impact on the group’s recruitment of international students.”
Russell Group universities say they lose on average about £2,500 in teaching UK undergraduates for fees frozen at £9,250 a year. As a result, many have increased international student numbers, whose fees are not capped and can be £10,000 or more higher than domestic fees.
In 2022-23, University College London’s tuition fee income went up by 17%, to £929m, “with the rise almost exclusively driven by growth in the full-time international student base”, according to its latest financial statements.
The University of Liverpool last year accepted an extra 1,500 overseas students compared with 2021-22, boosting its international tuition fee income from £113m to £151m – close to eclipsing the £165m it made in UK and EU student fees.
But the income of institutions such as the Open University, which rely more on UK students, have been hit. The Open University recorded an operating deficit of £25m last year, but claimed an underlying surplus if pensions and other long-term costs were excluded.
“The cost of living crisis and student behaviours post-pandemic meant a reversal of the growth in student numbers seen in recent years,” the Open University said, adding that it expected a further decline in student numbers this year.
