Colleges’ international recruitment and activity will not look the way it did prior to the coronavirus pandemic “for some time”, the Association of Colleges’ international director Emma Meredith has told Tes. 

Ms Meredith said that there was “no getting around the fact that there is going to be disruption to what would have been normal business” – and this would have a financial impact on colleges.

According to the most recent Association of Colleges’ international survey, 80 per cent of the colleges are involved in international work this year – with student recruitment being the most common of activities.

Average fees college charge of their international students are £7,957 – and according to the survey, the average income for UK colleges from international work is £1.4 million. This is in a context of the average FE colleges having an income of around £30 million. 

Background: Colleges earn £57m from international work

More: Colleges struggling to grow international recruitment

Opinion: Colleges must stand by their Chinese partners

But the coronavirus pandemic has seen a lot of that work come to a grinding halt – and a recent Association of Colleges survey on the impact of Covid-19 shed light on how much income colleges are likely to lose as a result. 

Around 16 per cent of respondents estimated that they would lose under £100,000 owing to less international work, 11 per cent thought they would lose between £100,000 and £249,999, and 3 per cent estimated a loss of between £500,000 and £999,999. One college estimated losing £1,000,000 to £1,999,999. 

Other international activity too has suffered. In 2018-19, City College Plymouth sent 90 students and 75 staff to 13 different European countries, improving employability skills, developing innovations in pedagogies and undertaking work experience.

In 2019-20, 89 students and 61 staff from the college were planning to take part in international activities; of these, 56 students and 44 staff were unable to take part in their programme of work experience, job shadowing or further training. 

But the college is hopeful that the visits will go ahead as planned next year. 

“The majority of these opportunities are funded by Erasmus+ and the British Council and we are hoping that these visits will go ahead next academic year alongside our planned activities of similar volume ensuring that students and staff benefit from these valuable experiences,” said Fiona Horrell, head of strategic partnerships at the college. 

Colleges are also reporting lower than expected applications from international students to study in September.

Ms Horrell said that the lower volume of applications was due to English language test centres being closed. She said: “At City College Plymouth, we operate international course start dates all year round, some in September and others in January and February, with short CPD professional seminars operating throughout the year.

“City College Plymouth will no doubt suffer an element of financial loss from our international recruitment for the next academic year due to the uncertainty over global travel. However, we are positive that, through our extensive and trusted partnerships worldwide, this is something that we can work through positively. 

“We are successfully undertaking a number of recruitment activities such as international webinars (in the past week, we have had over 100 interested students engage), a virtual open day, and support with in-country training to keep interest and momentum going.”

Emma Meredith said that English test centres remaining closed was a great source of concern. In order to obtain a visa that allows them to study in the UK, students must pass a “secure English exam” at specific test centres. Currently, these test centres – and visa centres – are closed. 

“A lot of colleges have been asking when will they reopen because otherwise our students won’t be able to come in September, or if the home office can make any concessions so we can be the judges ourselves of the English language ability of the students so we could test them,” she said.

Currently, there are concessions for students coming to study pre-sessional courses offered by many universities. The Home Office hasn't extended these concessions to students wanting to study in the UK in September because it anticipates test centres and visa centres being open by the summer, Ms Meredith said. 

But even if test centres and visa centres do indeed reopen in time, the appetite for overseas study could be lessened. The courses offered by colleges could look very different – social distancing rules could still be in place, and a blended approach to learning, with some remote study, applied.

“If courses look different, will they still want to take it? Will they still want to pay to do that? FE tuition fees are some of the most affordable in the UK, but if it’s not quite what you thought you were going to get, are you still going to take it? 

“There are parental concerns about the safety of young people coming to the UK and that goes back to the unavoidable perceptions around the world of how each country has handled coronavirus,” she said. 

Attracting students to the UK

Emma Hardy, Labour's shadow minister for FE and universities, has submitted several questions about the future for international students in the UK to the government, but said the responses had been "poor". She added: "It is very worrying and some of it understandable. It is difficult for the government to say when it is going to be safe to travel, and I do appreciate that. But some of the problems are of their own making. They are trying to introduce a whole new immigration system at the same time and there's a big question over whether they've got the capacity to do both, to adjust immigration rules in relation to Covid-19 and introduce a brand new immigration strategy as well.

"We do need to keep attracting international students to the UK, that's of fundamental importance to the financial future of our universities, and they are going to have to use what power we have aboard to continue to attract students.

"It seems that international students still want to come but there are still questions around what's happening with Covid-19 and the new immigration system that seems to be holding things up."

An online international offer

At City College Plymouth, staff are considering how programs of study could be offered online. 

“While there is still uncertainty around September UK-based starts, we are looking at how our programme can be delivered online with a view to support student travel to the UK when restrictions are lifted and it is safe to do so,” said Ms Horrell.

Ms Meredith said there is a huge opportunity available to colleges in terms of offering more international courses online. 

“Colleges have been given the chance to look at what they can offer online, but there are so many things to work out, the quality side, ensuring all of that, making the course appropriate to be studying who is thousands of miles away. 

“There is an opportunity but also a lot of work to be done to get that online offer, or to even assess what is even possible. There are a lot of providers who have been doing international online work for years, but there are challenges with how to deliver very practical vocational courses online.”