Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial risk to universities as a result of volatility in international student numbers.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England. The OfS is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of HE providers in England to ensure they have an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.

The OfS’ most recent report, which was published in May 2024, is available in the attached document. In the report, the OfS stated that the HE financial model had become reliant on fee income from international students, with a particular vulnerability where recruitment is predominantly from a single country.

The department continues to work with the OfS and other relevant parties to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the sector.