Students plot course for foreign universities as fees rise

Applying to university has become something of a numbers game.

When Government ministers announced tuition fees were to triple – in some cases up to £9,000 a year from this September – they insisted it shouldn’t be seen as a debt. Instead, they said it should be seen as an investment, one which would lead to higher future earnings.

Not everyone seems to have being paying attention. Figures released earlier this year showed there had been a 10 per cent drop in applications with 46,413 fewer students planning to take up a place at an English university this year.

While higher fees may well have been a deterrent it also seems that students are increasingly being lured abroad. Figures show that in 2009, 22,000 UK students chose to study abroad, but according to new research by graduates career website Prospect, the number of those considering leaving British shores to do their degree now stands at 150,000.

Of course there is a big difference between “considering” and actually taking up a place, but what was once seen as an expensive option is now comparatively competitive.

“The average debt of someone finishing university in England in three years time is estimated at between £50,000 and £60,000,” says Dan Billington, who set up the Hull-based Study International in response to what he saw as a growing gap in the education market. “When you compare that to say Canada where £40,000 would get you a four-year course, including a one-year paid placement, suddenly it’s easy to see why students are looking to broaden their horizons.

“Of course, if you go abroad you can’t take out the usual student loans, so the money has to come from elsewhere. However, there are a small number of bursaries available and some people are willing to take out private loans if they think they will benefit in the long term.”

While European universities have traditionally provided English students with a year’s placement, for those considering studying their entire degree abroad, North America is proving the biggest lure.

Harvard, Standard, Yale and Princeton all have international reputations and with tuition no longer free in this country, an increasing number of undergraduates are beginning to wonder whether their money would be better invested in an Ivy League degree. If they bring back that expertise to the UK, all well and good, but many fear top universities overseas could end up poaching our best students forever.

“At the moment, anecdotal evidence would suggest that students do come back home, but often only for a short time,” says Dan, whose company helps match students with courses. “For many people, once they’ve had a taste of living abroad, it’s hard to settle back into the life they had before.”

A report published last year by MigrationWatch said more than a million of the highest- qualified Britons had already gone to live abroad and the organisation warned that Britain loses more university graduates through emigration than almost all other countries.

The research put the number of British graduates working abroad at 1.1 million.

At the same time, the UK Border Agency says the country has a shortage of qualified candidates in areas as diverse as engineering, geology and biological science.

The report suggested UK companies were not paying enough to keep homegrown talent from pursuing more lucrative opportunities abroad. Many now fear that trend will be intensified if undergraduates join the exodus.

“Our figures were consistent with the findings of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that the UK suffers from a brain drain less serious only than Mexico where a significant proportion of its tertiary level educated go overseas to work,” said a MigrantWatch spokesman. “There is something of a brain drain occurring in Britain whereby our most talented and skilled are leaving the UK in search of opportunities abroad.”

“Leaving home for university at 18 is a big step; moving abroad is a massive step” says Dan. “A large part of my job is to make sure anyone who decides to apply overseas does so with their eyes open.

“The one thing we always do is ensure that we have full contact with their parents and that everyone is realistic about what they can expect. Studying abroad is a fantastic opportunity, but it’s certainly not for everyone.”