Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of a reduction in international student numbers on university finances.

The Higher Education Council for Funding in England (HEFCE) reports that the HE sector was in sound financial health in 2014/15. In the same academic year, overseas fee income accounted for nearly 13% of total sector income on average. The report can be found on HEFCE’s website at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/HEFCE,2014/Content/Pubs/2016/201604/HEFCE2016_04.pdf

International students make an important economic and cultural contribution to the UK. The UK has, and will continue to have, a world class education system that attracts students from across the world.