Recent research has found that current and prospective international students in the United Kingdom find good value for money in their education there.
Despite a general perception that universities in the UK are more expensive than other European countries, such as Ireland, France or Germany, these results suggest that students value a British degree more than those from these countries.
59% of responses said they believed that the UK represents good value for money, with students from Africa being the most positive about its financial worth. Over 1,000 current and prospective students either studying in the UK or interested in doing so were interviewed for this research.
Germany and Canada were also proven to be big successes in terms of perceived student value. Within Europe though, students looking to study abroad preferred Germany to the UK. It has been surmised that the effects of Brexit are leading to a German preference.
However, since the value of the pound has decreased in the past year, this would actually mean that British tuition fees are valued less than before the vote, making the UK more cost-effective.
Nevertheless, EU students seem to prefer Germany, which is of course, also a great destination, with its many competitive universities, low tuition fees and low average living cost.
Postgraduate students though, hold a higher opinion of the value of UK universities than undergraduate students. Mature students are also generally more favourable towards the UK.
Also of particular interest to travelling students is the result of the TEF (Teaching Excellence Framework) rating. A government-backed assessment, the rating assigns a gold, silver or bronze rating to each university in Britain, with a gold award being the most prestigious.
A TEF Gold rating was listed as one of the top five reasons studying at a UK institution can be good value for money. Other popular reasons given include ‘better qualified staff’ and high rates of graduate employment.
The UK’s higher education institutions have long had a good international reputation and these results serve as more evidence of that. Nevertheless, the British government can always do more to help students and things such as making post-study visas easier for international students are being worked upon so that the United Kingdom remains an attractive destination.
The UK is the English-speaking nation most recommended by overseas students, with 92% of undergraduates and 90% of postgraduates saying they are happy with their experience studying there.
If you are considering studying in the UK, please consider making use of our institution search.
