University of Sheffield Faces Budget Deficit Amid Declining Enrollment
United Kingdom Europe International Studies Higher Education News by Erudera News Oct 21, 2024
The University of Sheffield, one of the top universities in the United Kingdom, is experiencing a budget deficit this academic year due to a decline in student enrollment.
Student enrollment dropped by 2,200 this year, 7 percent down compared to the 2022/23 academic year when 30,307 studied at the university, BBC has reported. The same said that the university has already informed all academic institutions to make savings for the next year.
“Like many universities across the UK, we have seen a reduction in the number of international students joining us this year and this will have an impact on our financial position," the university said.
A university spokesperson told BBC that they are discussing with the government about the contribution of research, innovation, and education to the UK’s economy, pointing out that they are hoping to solve the issue together and overcome challenges that the UK university sector is facing.
Recent data from the Home Office have revealed the number of international students applying for visas in the United Kingdom declined 16 percent between July and September compared to the same period last year.
This drop follows tougher rules on international students by UK government, preventing the latter from bringing family members to the UK, unless they are on a postgraduate research program or a government-sponsored course. Rules entered into force from January 1, 2024.
As a result, the number of student dependents applying for visas to the country also dropped 89 percent. According to Home Office data, the number of sponsored study visa applications submitted between July and September this year totaled 263,400, a drop from 312,500 last summer.
During the same period (July and September) the number of applications by family members of international students drastically dropped to 6,700 from a total of 59,900 last year. Meanwhile, between January and September this year, a total of 17,800 applications were made from dependents of students.
“There were 17,800 applications from dependants of students between January and September 2024, 85 percent fewer than January to September 2023. This followed the rule changes that came into effect in January 2024 which prevent students from bringing dependants, apart from those studying postgraduate research courses or courses with government-funded scholarships,” the Home Office explained.
Last year, there were 758,855 international students in the UK, up 12.4 percent compared to the previous year when 679,970 international students studied in the country. Of these students, 95,505 were from EU countries, and 663,355 were from outside the EU.
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