Universities in the UK have to thank US President for the increased inflow of applications from Chinese undergraduates for the next academic year. Compared to the previous year, thirty percent more students from China have submitted their applications this year to institutions in the UK.
Historically, the maximum number of international students in Britain has always been from China. A decade ago, there were more than forty thousand Chinese students in the UK. By 2018 the numbers had increased to cross one hundred thousand.
Universities Minister, Chris Skidmore is not complaining about this influx. He says,
“International students bring huge cultural and economic benefits to the UK. These figures show we are making good progress in our ambition to open up world-leading higher education to anyone who has the potential to benefit from it and I’m confident that we can go even further.”
The welcoming attitude of the government is understandable. International students are not provided the government-backed loans, and they have to pay two to three times the fee paid by a UK national.
The University of Manchester has the most significant representation of Chinese nationals in their student body.
This influx to the UK is a significant loss to Universities in the United States. One-third of their international students used to be from China, but the existing trade standoff is going to cost them dearly.
Problems faced by Chinese undergraduates in the UK
One of the main concerns for Chinese students in the UK is security. Students speculate that they may be targeted more because of the assumption that Chinese students are wealthy.
University officials are taking these concerns seriously. They are increasing police drop-ins, creating neighborhood watch groups with students and other campaigns for international student safety.
There are also conscious steps being taken to help the integration of Chinese students with their British counterparts.
