London universities campaign to attract and assure international students
London universities have launched the ‘Study London’ campaign to promote the city as a safe and welcoming place for international students. The campaign highlights London’s diversity, inclusivity, and excellent career prospects. This initiative comes in response to concerns that new restrictions on international students could deter applicants and reduce university funding, according to The Standard.
Diana Beech, chief executive of London Higher, which represents 50 universities and higher education institutions in the capital, stated that trust in Britain as a place to study and conduct research has been “significantly dented” by recent immigration rule changes, including the scrapping of dependents’ visas.
The British government announced a further crackdown on student visas last month, aiming to reduce the number of international students coming to the UK.
However, the British government’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) reviewed the new Graduate Route visa and found that a post-study visa programme, known as the Graduate Route visa, is helping UK universities recover from financial losses and expand research opportunities. Indian nationals represent the largest group in student visa category, making up 43% of grants last year.
The ‘Study London’ campaign will share stories of current students on a dedicated website to give prospective students a taste of life in the city.
Beech emphasised that the campaign aims to maintain the global focus on the benefits of studying at London’s universities and to restore confidence in London as a safe and welcoming city.
“When London’s universities succeed, the whole nation succeeds,” Beech was quoted as saying by The Standard.
Highlighting the importance of London’s universities for the UK’s international competitiveness, Beech noted that London’s world-leading institutions are essential for attracting top global talent.
Recently, Imperial College London surpassed Oxford and Cambridge in the QS World University Rankings, now standing second only to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Four other London universities, including University College London, King’s College London, the London School of Economics, and Queen Mary University of London, also made it into the global top 20.
Beech stressed that London’s strength as a global higher education hot spot stands firm, providing a strong foundation to attract the world’s best thinkers, innovators, and entrepreneurs to power growth across the city and nation.
“London’s universities matter to the capital and to the country. They educate well over half a million students each year and incentivise many more to look at options elsewhere in the UK, yet still be close to the capital, luring them away from our main competitor economies of Australia, Canada, or the United States,” Beech was quoted as saying by The Standard.
