University of York to Lower Bar for Some International Student Admission

The University of York staff have been told to adopt another approach that would be more beneficial for international students with below-average grades.

The message conveyed to staff suggests a “more adaptable stance” in admitting these international students, indicating the severe recruitment and financial problems that the higher education sector in the United Kingdom is facing, Erudera.com reports.

Although the usual offer for undergraduate applicants at York still requires A grades at A-level, the university is now willing to accept certain international undergraduates with the equivalent of B or C at A-level.

Moreover, entry into postgraduate programs will now accept a 2:2 award or a similar qualification rather than the previous requirement of a 2:1.

According to an email reported by the Financial Times, the school has decided to reduce the tariff for all international applicants across all departments and programs to address the current financial pressures.

“In response to the current financial challenges, the university has decided to lower its tariff for all departments and programmes for overseas applicants,” the message read.

Established in 1963, the University of York is one of the leading universities worldwide, with over 20,000 students from more than 150 countries and 5,000 staff. About 27 percent of international students at the university are from outside the UK.

International students in the UK usually pay fees ranging from £3,500 to £38,000 or even more for medical degrees.

A Guardian analysis conducted earlier last year revealed that the higher education sector in the UK increasingly relies on international tuition fees.

The same found that revenues from international students’ tuition fees make up one-third or more of the overall income at some institutions.

In recent years, many universities have experienced substantial increases in their revenue from international students, with some witnessing an increase of more than 15 percentage points.

Data shows that the number of international students is up at about 80 percent of British universities since the 2016/17 academic year.

Last year, the number of international students in the UK reportedly reached a record high. According to the Centre for Migration Control (CMC), a think tank focused on migration reduction, there were 787,000 international students studying in the UK in the 2022/23 academic year, up from 679,970 the previous year.

This January, the UK started implementing new visa rules for international students, which do not allow the latter to bring their dependents while on student visas unless they are on a postgraduate course.

Related:

>> Plagiarism Cases Double in UK University Applications Over Two Years