UK to charge universities $1,200 per international student

• From August 2028, universities in England volition pay an annual levy of £925 for all global pupil beyond an exemption threshold of 220 students.
• The accusation applies to institutions recruiting from countries including China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and covers the two new and existing students.
• While students do not pay the fee directly, universities may addition global tuition fees to regain their costs, affecting forthcoming pricing strategies.
• University leaders have criticized the levy because of concerns complete declining global pupil numbers and possible financial strain, although the authorities insists the measure supports learning funding.

First announced in the government's 2025 Budget, the International Student Levy has faced opposition from university leaders concerned concerning rising functioning expenses and declining abroad enrolment.

However, the authorities reaffirmed its plans on October 19, 2026, whenever Education Minister Josh MacAlister told Parliament that the income would assistance England's higher learning and skills system.

Responding to a parliamentary inquiry concerning the policy's financial justification, MacAlister stated the authorities had already conducted consultations and published an effect appraisal in 2025, alongside an updated inspection expected shortly.

He additionally maintained that planned increases in family tuition fee caps could create about £6 milliard for higher learning providers complete five years, compared alongside the levy's projected disbursal to universities of small than £1 milliard complete the identical period.

Under the proposal, universities in England volition pay £925 annually for all global student, alongside the archetypal 220 abroad enrolments exempt from the charge.

The levy volition shield the two new and existing students, alongside a university enrolling 1,000 global students facing an annual accusation of £721,500 following the 220-student exemption.

The Office for Students volition oversee its implementation using enrolment data, during the authorities aims to modify the charge annually in row alongside inflation.

Official projections signify that the levy volition create £445 myriad ($594 million) in 2028–2029, rising to £465 myriad ($621 million) in 2029–2030 and £480 myriad ($641 million) in 2030–2031.

The guideline volition power universities recruiting from China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Bangladesh, alongside African markets specified as Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Home Office figures display that China received 86,368 sponsored study visas in the twelvemonth ending June 2026, followed by India alongside 82,523 and Nigeria alongside 26,060.

Pakistan recorded 19,600 grownup pupil visas, during Bangladesh received concerning 8,800 complete the identical period.

According to the Department for Education, students from India generated £5.3 milliard in UK higher learning export income in 2024, compared alongside £4.9 milliard from China and £1.7 milliard from Nigeria.

Overall, global higher learning students generated an estimated £23.9 milliard in export income for Britain that year.

Birmingham City University has already raised fees for continuing global students by 2% for the 2026–2027 scholarly year, alongside a additional 3.5% addition planned for 2027–2028.

Meanwhile, the University of Bath has advised abroad students who began their courses in 2026 to prosperity for annual tuition fee increases of up to 8%.

Business Insider Africa earlier reported that several British universities had withdrawn admission offers to Nigerian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi applicants complete concerns concerning breaching stricter visa sponsorship requirements.

Vivienne Stern, chief administrator of Universities UK, questioned the government's income forecasts in comments reported by The i Paper.

“It is a daft policy, and that is apparent from the way that global recruitment trends have been unfolding this autumn,” she said.

“The Government’s projections concerning the earnings it volition lift are already unrealistic.”