From academic year 2028-29, UCL will be annually charged £925 per international student as part of government plans to reduce net-migration and re-introduce “means-tested maintenance grants” for domestic students.
This will cost UCL over £24 million per year, which is expected to be passed on to students.
Announced in the Autumn budget, the International Student Levy will see all higher education providers pay a flat fee per enrolled international student, increasing with inflation each year. This charge will apply to all current and new students from 2028/29.
The policy aims to “create stronger economic links between both home and international students”, essentially introducing a tax upon international student recruitment to support home students.
The government has stated whilst international students provide a significant positive impact on the economy, it is “right that these benefits are shared”.
In 2024/25, international students constituted 52% of the UCL student body (2024/25), the largest international enrollment in the UK. As previously reported by The Cheese Grater, UCL is therefore set to pay more than any other university.
Whilst there is an exemption for a university’s first 220 international students, with over 26,000 international students, this will have minimal impact on UCL’s upcoming bill.
The levy contributes to the government’s increasing crackdown on international students, a part of broader plans to reduce net immigration.
Prior to the budget, the government announced plans to make it more difficult for universities to sponsor student visas, and reduce the graduate visa from 2 years to 18 months. This follows UCL exceeding its visa allocation limit by around 200 students this academic year.
An impact assessment released following the budget has found an expected international student loss of 14,000 across the country in 2028/29, rising to 17,000 in 2031/32.
Whilst the levy is expected to generate revenues of £442 million in 2028/29, the government has planned for costs to be passed down to students at high-ranking universities, potentially exacerbating the reduction of international students.
The budget further sets out a three-year freeze on the threshold for student loan repayments. With an increase in minimum wage, graduate students are soon expected to pay much more of their student loan back much sooner.
Students’ Union President Anam Choudhary previously stated maintenance grants for some students is “a huge win”. However, the Union is opposed to funding through an international student levy, stating it would be “hugely damaging to our community at UCL”.
A UCL spokesperson said:
