Are Mainland Chinese Students Saving Britains Universities?
Briefing Note Shelley Nania and Stephen Green, July 2004 Download Paper here • The numbers of Mainland Chinese studying in UK higher education have increased dramatically in the last five years to 32,000 in the 2002-03 academic year, making them the largest group of non-EU nationals. • Chatham House surveyed Britain’s top universities to discover the scale of the financial contribution these students are making. Based on our survey findings, we estimate that the average top-100 UK university received £2.9m from Mainland Chinese students in tuition fees in 2003-04. As a group, the top one hundred universities received an estimated £223m. • How significant was this money to the university sector? Based on our estimates, Mainland Chinese students contributed the equivalent of 4.7% of the amount that was granted to the universities by the government in 2003-04. At some institutions the figure was much higher. • Chinese students are not yet saving the UK’s university sector, and the rates o
