Albert Cardona2d ago

"In the UK, a quarter of total university income is generated by international students, who pay much higher fees than home students. To attract them, British universities rely on vast, largely unregulated networks of agents operating primarily in Asia and Africa."

"The reason British universities spend so much to attract international students is simple: if they were to rely solely on home students, they would go bust."

What could possibly go wrong ... with university finances. This system is not well-grounded, not reliable or stable in any way or form.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2026/apr/07/brutal-reality-of-life-as-a-foreign-student-in-the-uk

#UK #academia

‘I see it as trafficking’: the brutal reality of life as a foreign student in the UK

The long read: Universities in Britain rely on overseas applicants paying full fees, which has given rise to some unscrupulous recruiters and left many hopefuls and their families deep in debt

The Guardian
Show threadj_bertolotti13h ago

@albertcardona An extra ingredient that needs to be added to the story is that the system to apply and be accepted by a Uni in the UK is so extremely convoluted and baroque that it is unlikely you will be able to navigate it from outside the country without the help of someone.

(Also, plenty of countries in Europe where Uni is cheap. Not sure why all those students aim to the UK.)

Show threadKo-Fan Chen 陳克帆11h ago
@j_bertolotti @albertcardona it's the language and the interconnected network one imagined for the Anglosphere. I was a subscriber for it myself as an international student, plus the UK was among the few countries that had shorter years to complete Master(1yr) and Bachelor degrees (3yr), although this list is now expanded.
Show threadAlbert Cardona

@kofanchen @j_bertolotti

And yet most graduate programs in Europe run in English, at least in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and in my home country, Catalonia. At least that’s what I’ve seen from direct experience.

7:04pmWeb
Show threadKo-Fan Chen 陳克帆2h ago
@albertcardona I completely agree, hence the draw to the UK was an image that was sold to and re-enforced ourselves but after some careful examination, it is a lot of wishful thinking and not entirely true. However I am not sure how much everyday life I can operate well in a country that I don't speak the language @j_bertolotti