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Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
British students banned from Harvard as Trump blocks foreign admissions
British students have been banned from Harvard after Donald Trump blocked foreign admissions to the university. The Trump administration announced on Thursday that the United States's oldest and wealthiest university would no longer be able to enrol international students. In a statement, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, ended Harvard's ability to enrol foreign students. The move means British students will no longer be allowed to attend the prestigious university, and that existing British students must transfer to other schools or lose their right to stay in the country. 'This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, anti-Semitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,' Ms Noem said. 'It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments.' A spokesman for Harvard said 'The government's action is unlawful. We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the university – and this nation – immeasurably.' The number of British students studying abroad is soaring across the board, with a 45 per cent increase in applications to study in the US between 2008 and 2018. It follows complaints that record numbers of privately educated British students are being snubbed by top UK universities in favour of those who attended state schools. An estimated 7 per cent of independent school leavers go to international universities, with around half of those going to the US, according to Independent Schools Council census data released this week. In 2022, Harvard admitted 236 British students, with graduates from the UK making up the largest single proportion of the university's foreign alumni at 7,177. British students pay up to £60,000 ($80,000) a year to attend Harvard, which includes tuition, fees, housing, food, books, travel and personal expenses. Helen Pike, master of Magdalen College School, Oxford, and chairman of the Heads' Conference/Girls' School Association universities' committee, said: 'I'm saddened to see young people from around the world caught up, through no fault of theirs, in a political argument that will have a negative impact on their education. 'I hope for their sake that the issue can be resolved swiftly, before the new academic year.' Nearly 7,000 international students enrolled at Harvard in the last academic year, university data shows, making up 27.2 per cent of its student body. In May, Mr Trump threatened to remove Harvard University's tax exemptions. The university is also in a legal battle with the Trump administration over the freezing of £1.7 billion ($2.2 billion) in federal grants. Harvard said a revocation of its tax-exempt status would be unlawful and unprecedented. A spokesman said at the time: 'There is no legal basis to rescind tax-exempt status. The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.' The move would also cut money available for student scholarships, medical research and technological advancements that drive economic growth, the Harvard spokesman said. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The National
22-05-2025
- Business
- The National
UK boarding schools hit by drop in number of international pupils
UK boarding schools have faced a drop in the number of international pupils enrolling at the institutions since the Covid-19 pandemic, a report found, as experts warn visa restrictions and higher fees could exacerbate that trend. The number of overseas pupils attending the schools has dropped by almost 14 per cent since 2020, when stricter visa requirements were introduced. In January, 25,500 non-British pupils with parents living overseas attended private schools, down from nearly 29,500 in 2020, according to the Independent Schools Council's annual census, released on Tuesday. Boarding schools faced a 2.6 per cent drop in pupils in the year to January, amounting to £29 million ($38.7 million) in lost fees. More than nine in 10 overseas pupils whose parents do not reside in the UK will board and, of those, 54 per cent are at an independent sixth form. The largest decrease in applications came from Spain, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand and Hong Kong. For new pupils from the Middle East, there was a drop of 11 per cent of pupils at boarding and day schools whose parents do not live in the UK, between 2024 and 2025. By contrast, there was a 10 per cent rise in pupils from the region whose parents also reside in the UK. The vast majority of those pupils will go to a day independent school. Ministers estimated they could raise £1.8 billion a year by the end of this parliament by introducing VAT to private schools, funds that would be spent on state schools. The results show a decline in pupil numbers that began before the introduction of VAT on fee-paying schools was announced last year. While boarding schools appeared to be recovering from the slump by 2023, numbers began dropping again in the 2024 and 2025 censuses. Experts say the UK is being perceived as increasingly unwelcoming to foreign students. Home Office statistics show student visas for independent schools declined by 4.7 per cent from 2023 to 2024. Last month, the fees for child student visas and child sponsor licences rose by 7 per cent. Increased visa application fees and the sizeable immigration health surcharge introduced under the previous Conservative government, as well as stricter requirements for the UK's child student visa for guardians and sponsor schools, are some of the policies blamed for driving new applicants away. The UK government proposed a new round of restrictions to university student visas last week, which includes a higher overseas student tax and shortens the time they can spend in the UK to look for a job after they graduate. The Boarding Schools' Association said the new policies could have a 'knock-on effect on boarding schools, which act as a pipeline for top UK universities' and risk 'threatening the UK's long-standing reputation as a welcoming and world-class education destination'. David Walker, executive director of the association, said UK boarding schools had an enduring appeal, including in the Middle East. "While logistical requirements have evolved, the fundamental appeal of a UK boarding education remains as compelling as ever," he told The National. He also blamed the introduction of VAT in January for the recent decline, just as schools were beginning to recover their losses from the pandemic. Imposing a levy on international students would damage the UK's reputation for welcoming the best and brightest students, he said. 'International students are a vital part of BSA school communities and it would be a shame to see that change," he told The Times. The census showed the biggest fall in the number of new pupils on record – 5.3 per cent on a like-for-like basis. Overall, the like-for-like number of pupils within ISC schools decreased by 2.4 per cent, or 13,363 children and young people. This is more than 10,000 more than the government estimated would leave this academic year. Schools have kept baseline fee increases to a minimum, with an average increase of 1.8 per cent from 2024 to 2025. For parents, the rise was 22 per cent once VAT was factored in. They have also awarded record numbers of bursaries, the data revealed, with the amount of fee assistance rising by 11.5 per cent from the previous year to £1.5 billion. Almost three quarters of those fees (£1.1 billion) were paid for by the schools themselves. Independent schools were also more active in their local communities, growing their partnership work with state schools. Julie Robinson, chief executive of the ISC, said the rise in bursaries showed schools were committed to improving education "even as political decisions affect their work". "However, given the decline in pupil numbers and the associated fall in revenue, it is unclear whether the past few years of rises in fee assistance will be sustainable in the future," she said. "We urge the government to work with us to ensure independent education remains an option for as many families as possible over the coming years.'
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Labour triggers biggest private school exodus in more than a decade
Private schools lost a record 13,000 pupils in the run up to Labour's VAT raid, figures show. The Independent Schools Council (ISC), which represents four in five private schools in England and Wales, said the number of pupils fell from 551,578 to 538,215 in the year to January ahead of Labour's planned 20pc tax. It marked the biggest drop in pupil numbers since the trade body first surveyed schools in 2012, but teachers warned that the figures 'do not reflect the full damage inflicted by the imposition of VAT'. Private school fees rose by an average of 22.6pc to £22,000 a year in January, the ISC said. It comes as Neil O'Brien, a shadow education minister, accused Labour of underestimating the impact of the tax raid and piling more pressure on the struggling state sector. Mr O'Brien last week told The Telegraph that every child 'priced out' of private education would mean fewer places in good schools for others, and children with special needs would be particularly hard hit. Labour predicted that only 3,000 children would leave the private sector in 2024-2025 as a result of the tax raid. But the ISC said this did not include the thousands of children believed not to have started at private schools in September because of rapidly rising fees. Aatif Hassan, of Dukes Education, which runs 27 private schools, told The Sunday Times: 'These figures do not reflect the full damage inflicted by the imposition of VAT. 'We are just beginning to see the impact on families, and the flow-through of that will become more apparent in September.' The ISC said private schools faced a 'triple whammy' of financial blows this year, chiefly the 20pc VAT imposed in January. Costs have been driven up further by the recent increase in employer National Insurance contributions. And schools with charitable status were also stripped of 80pc business rates relief last month. The Treasury has rejected claims that the VAT raid is to blame for steep rises in fees, arguing that it followed large increases over the past few decades. A number of private schools have closed this year, with more than a dozen directly blaming the VAT raid. A High Court legal challenge last month argued the Government's policy of adding VAT to private school fees would 'interfere with the fundamental right to education'. Documents seen by The Telegraph revealed that Rachel Reeves was warned about the risk of more schools shutting. The High Court is due to rule this month on whether the policy breaches the human rights of children. A Treasury spokesman said: 'This data misrepresents reality – the increases in fees are not only down to VAT. Average fees have risen by 75pc in real terms in the past 25 years, and pupil numbers have remained steady. 'Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8bn a year by 2029/30 to help deliver 6,500 new teachers and raise school standards, supporting the 94pc of children in state schools to achieve and thrive.'
Times
18-05-2025
- General
- Times
Boarding schools hit by fall in number of international pupils
Boarding schools are being hit by a slide in the number of international pupils, a census will show on Tuesday. The figure has fallen by almost 14 per cent since its peak in 2020. The Independent Schools Council (ISC) shared figures from its annual census with The Times. In January there were 25,500 non-British pupils with parents living overseas at private schools, down from nearly 29,500 in 2020. • Private school exodus of 13,000 dwarfs ministers' predictions There has been a 2.6 per cent drop in the year to January alone, amounting to almost £29 million in lost fees. Ninety-three per cent of foreign pupils whose parents stay in their home country choose to board; 54 per cent are at an independent school sixth-form.
Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Private school exodus of 13,000 dwarfs ministers' predictions
The number of pupils at private schools has fallen by more than 13,000 in 12 months, a record drop that head teachers blame largely on the introduction of VAT on fees in January. An annual census by the Independent Schools Council (ISC) of its 1,380 members found the number of pupils dropped from 551,578 to 538,215 in the year to January. It was the largest fall in private school pupil numbers since the ISC began collating the data in 2012. ISC members cover about 80 per cent of privately educated pupils. The figures cast doubt on the government's prediction that only 3,000 children would leave the private sector during the 2024-25 academic year as a result of the tax, rising to 14,000 by summer next
