Universities are chartering flights from China to encourage overseas students to return in September
British universities are chartering flights from China, India and Africa to encourage international students to return next academic year.
Bolton University and Queen’s University Belfast have already drawn up plans to fly overseas students over to the UK in September, with a number of other institutions expected to follow suit in the coming weeks.
The vice-Chancellor of Exeter University said he is also looking at chartering planes this autumn in case students are unable to get commercial flights.
It comes amid rising concern among university chiefs about their finances. Institutions are anticipating a drop in the number of international students this year, meaning they face a significant loss of income.
British and European Union (EU) students pay up to £9,250 each year in tuition fees, but overseas students are charged around double this amount and the money they bring in is used to subsidise research.
Only one in seven overseas graduates and undergraduates due to study in Britain still plans to come, a recent study found.
Most will defer their enrolment until September 2021, although some will study in another country, according to a survey conducted by QS, the higher education think tank which compiles the World University Rankings.
Bolton University intends to fly students from India, China and Africa to the UK in time for the next academic year in September.
Once they have landed, the university will organise airport pick-up, transport to their campus on a fleet of dedicated coaches, and quarantine support.
“This support will be available for new international students joining this September and its returning students to ensure that they feel welcomed and confident to study at the University of Bolton,” a spokesman said. Queen’s University Belfast also intends to charter flights “in a bid to tackle travel disruption caused by Covid-19”.
“With international travel badly impacted by the pandemic, and with many people still wary of travelling via London and other major airports, flying students from China to Belfast is seen as reassuring to both students and their families, while helping reduce fuss and anxiety levels for those making the trip,” the university said.
The flight will leave from Beijing on September 18 and students will be required to take a coronavirus test 48 hours before departure and to provide evidence of the test in order to board the flight.
Jamie Arrowsmith, assistant director of policy at Universities UK International, said that it was supporting institutions by exploring the logistics and costs around chartering flights.
He told the Times Higher Education magazine that universities “want to make sure that [they are] addressing any remaining barriers to students studying in the UK, including the availability of air travel”.
