Northern Ireland

Pandemic may have severe impact on international students, OECD warns

There are fears a drastic loss of income from international students will leave a hole in university budgets
There are fears a drastic loss of income from international students will leave a hole in university budgets There are fears a drastic loss of income from international students will leave a hole in university budgets

THE Covid pandemic may have a "severe impact" on universities that rely heavily on international students, the OECD has warned.

Those from overseas pay higher tuition fees than domestic students.

In July, it was revealed that Queen's University Belfast chartered a jumbo jet at a cost of around £600,000 to bring hundreds of students directly from China.

It came amid fears that a drastic loss of income from its international student intake would leave a hole in its budget running into millions of pounds.

The OECD said: "The crisis may have a severe impact on the internationalisation of higher education, as the delivery of online course material and travel restrictions may raise questions among international students' perception on the value of obtaining their degree from a foreign institution.

"The United Kingdom, which accounts for 8 per cent of the market share for international tertiary students, may be more strongly affected, although its new student visa policy and blended learning concessions may mitigate declines to an extent."

The study added that countries including Australia, New Zealand and the UK have also reduced barriers to the migration of highly qualified students, "facilitating their entry into the labour market after graduation".

"A decline in international student mobility in these countries risks affecting productivity in advanced sectors related to innovation and research in the coming years," the OECD added.