Students graduate at a UK university (Image: Getty)
UK are enrolling thousands of overseas students that can’t speak good enough English, an investigation has found.
It has been claimed universities in England have been cashing in on foreign students paying inordinate sums for degrees, as domestic students’ fees are capped, but overseas students’ fees have no limit.
Around 70 percent of students enrolled on master’s courses in England are not British. That’s far beyond the percentage of other course-types, according to Rose Stephenson from the Higher Education Policy Institute, an independent think tank.
Noting the tutition fee limits for UK students, capped at £9,250, rising to £9,535 in 2025, Ms Stephenson said: “You can charge a foreign student as much as they’re willing to pay”.
Students graduate from Teeside University (Image: Getty)
One Iranian student, who spoke to a , said she was “shocked” to find the lack of proficiency in English from her fellow students, when she arrived for her MA at a UK university.
“How is it possible to continue this coursework without understanding a British accent or English properly?”, she said.
Jo Grady from the UCU, which represents 120,000 lecturers and university staff, says it is an open secret that students who lack English skills find ways to come to the UK to study.
“When we speak to members we hear about the tricks that are pulled in order to have people pass the relevant language test and get on to courses,” she says.
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Lecturers have complained that their cohort’s can’t understand them and are cheating in tests (Image: Getty)
The University and College Union (UCU) claims universities are turning a blind eye to large numbers of foreign students that can’t speak English.
Jo Grady, from the union, which represents 120,000 lecturers and academic staff, says its an unspoken reality that students without the requisite English skills can find ways into UK universities.
“When we speak to members we hear about the tricks that are pulled in order to have people pass the relevant language test and get on to courses,” she told the .
Universities UK – which represents 141 institutions – rejects the claims.