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The Guardian
6 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
The Gaza students with scholarships to UK unable to take up their places
Time is running out for 40 students in Gaza who have been awarded full scholarships to study at some of the UK's leading universities this September, but have been unable to fulfil visa requirements due to the war. Campaigners have called on the British government to intervene to ensure their safe passage. Here are some of the students' stories. Abdallah, 27, has been awarded a Chevening scholarship, part of a UK government-funded global scholarship programme, and has a place to study for an MSc in data science and artificial intelligence (AI) at Queen Mary University of London. 'Just two weeks after earning my medical licence in 2023, the war broke out. I chose not to flee. Instead, I volunteered in local hospitals, treating the wounded while my own family suffered nearby. 'I soon realised that bandages and medicine cannot heal a nation so deeply traumatised. We need more than emergency care – we need innovation. That is why I applied to study data science and AI in the UK. 'I am driven by desperation and hope. Gaza is facing an unprecedented mental health catastrophe. Nearly every child and adult has been exposed to intense trauma, displacement or loss. Yet Gaza's mental health infrastructure has been completely shattered. 'To fight a crisis this massive, I need world-class training. Once I complete my degree, I will return to Gaza to lead the creation of data-driven health systems that prioritise mental wellbeing.' Israa, 31, is a Palestinian doctor who has been awarded a Medical Research Council doctoral training partnership to do a PhD in sexual and reproductive health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, where she previously completed a master's in international public health. She said: '[Studying in the UK was] a transformative experience that gave me a global perspective and strengthened my resolve to serve the most vulnerable people. I returned to Gaza by choice to serve, to heal and to uplift. A few months later, the brutal war started. 'I now work supporting women, girls, adolescents and displaced communities. I was supposed to start my [PhD] studies in October 2024, but the award was deferred to this October. I am calling for immediate action to evacuate UK scholars and professionals from Gaza, not only for my safety but for the future I represent. 'My work, my voice and my life matter. I am not only a doctor or a student, but I am also a survivor, a woman, a wife and a human being who has dedicated her life to health equity and justice.' Israa added: 'It is not easy to guarantee we will be alive next week. The more we accelerate the efforts [to evacuate the students] the better for us.' Khulud, 28, is another Chevening scholar with a place at University College London to study for a master's degree in dental health. After completing her dental degree at the University of Palestine in 2020, she worked in clinical dentistry while training others. When the war began, Khulud opened a clinic with her brother, offering free dentistry, general medicine, paediatrics, nutrition, and psycho-social care to more than 20,000 displaced people. 'These experiences didn't just shape me – they saved me,' she said. 'Even in the darkest moments, there is light in service, and hope in community. 'The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. There are continuous attacks, mass displacement and severe shortages of food and medical supplies. Thousands have died and many more are at risk. I cannot say with certainty that I'll still be alive in 2026. 'Losing this scholarship and the resources I've secured would be devastating. Emotionally, it would extinguish one of the few hopes that keep me resilient. Academically, the programme might not be available again. Most importantly, it would deny Gaza a health professional determined to return and help rebuild.' Majd, 24, a mechanical engineer from Gaza, has a full scholarship to pursue a master's degree in advanced manufacturing systems and technology at the University of Liverpool. He said: 'Life during the war has been extremely difficult. I've been displaced, with no stable electricity, internet or basic services. Every day is full of uncertainty and worry. 'Most industrial facilities in Gaza have been destroyed, which means there's almost no equipment or resources left to work with. The lack of electricity, fuel and basic infrastructure has made it nearly impossible to continue any kind of engineering work. 'The UK offers world-class education with excellent research and teaching. Studying there will give me access to resources that will improve my knowledge in advanced technologies. This international experience is vital for me to develop the skills needed to contribute meaningfully to Gaza's future reconstruction. 'I want to use what I learn to create job opportunities, empower youth and help rebuild infrastructure that supports long-term stability and growth in Gaza after the war. 'I fully understand that the UK has visa systems in place for important reasons, and we are not asking for special treatment. However, this is an extraordinary situation. We ask for consideration and support to enable us to continue our studies as education will be key to rebuilding Gaza.' Abeer, 28, has a place to study for an MA in data and health science at the University of St Andrews. 'After our home was destroyed in the winter of 2023 we moved into an Unrwa school. After three days there the school was heavily shelled. 'The bombing was violent and horrific. My brother Mohamed was badly injured, his feet caught underneath the falling rubble. He could not walk or move. We had to carry him south to Khan Younis, where we lived in a tent. 'It was here that we lost Mohamed. He never recovered from the injury at the Unrwa school. His loss caused our whole family to collapse. I felt my heart had stopped pumping. I lost my will to live, life lost its meaning. 'It was not long after that my older brother reached out, and reminded me that I had wanted to apply for a scholarship at St Andrews. 'Hardship should not stop you,' he told me. 'This is what you wanted before, you must persist.' 'Coming from Gaza I have seen the need for better healthcare solutions, and this programme and its modules offer the knowledge I need to make a real impact on healthcare.' Samah, 25, a medical laboratory specialist at al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, has been accepted to study for an MSc in genomic medicine at the University of Oxford. She did not wish to share any photos of herself. 'From the first day of the ongoing war in Gaza, I have been on the frontline, working under extremely difficult and life-threatening conditions. Our hospital, like many others, faced mass casualties on a daily basis. We lost most of our laboratory equipment due to targeted attacks and destruction, yet we continued to serve patients. 'As the war progressed, I witnessed families resorting to burning hazardous materials just to cook food for their children. This prolonged exposure to potentially carcinogenic agents made me realise the urgent need to understand the long-term biological and genetic impacts of such conditions. 'Motivated by this experience, I decided to pursue advanced study in the field of medical genetics and cancer research. 'This opportunity is not just an academic pursuit for me, it is a mission to bring hope and healing back to a devastated community.' A government spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the students and are considering the request for support. Clearly the situation on the ground in Gaza makes this challenging.' These accounts were compiled with the help of the UK Coalition for Students in Gaza
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
The British universities reliant on Chinese students
Chinese students are still propping up UK universities, despite institutions being urged to wean themselves off money from Beijing. UK universities' financial accounts for 2023-24 show almost a third of the entire income of some institutions comes from Chinese students, Telegraph analysis has found. In total, Chinese students brought in about £5.5 billion in fees across 158 universities last year, about 10 per cent of all university income from tuition fees. The Royal College of Art (RCA) had 1,295 students from China last year, equivalent to 45 per cent of the London university's entire student body. The Telegraph estimates suggest that, when applied to fees, this would be equivalent to £100 million in revenue, or 37 per cent of the college's entire income. Using this same analysis, The Telegraph found that 21 universities are reliant on tuition fees from Chinese students for at least a tenth of their income. It includes four universities that derived more than a fifth of their overall income from Chinese students last year – the Royal College of Art, University of the Arts London (UAL), the University of Southampton and Goldsmiths, University of London. In total, 57 UK universities have seen the proportion of their overall income from Chinese students increase over the past few years, or about 37 per cent of institutions analysed by The Telegraph. It comes despite universities being told to reduce their reliance on Chinese students amid growing national security concerns relating to Beijing. The Office for Students (OfS) wrote to a select number of institutions with large proportions of Chinese students in 2023, urging them to draw up contingency plans in case of a sudden interruption to overseas recruitment. The universities watchdog said such interruptions could come from 'a changing geopolitical environment which could cause an immediate and significant impact on income' – widely interpreted as a potential souring of relations with Beijing. The OfS has not disclosed the names of the 23 institutions and refused a request for the information by The Telegraph. Russell Group institutions such as University College London (UCL), Imperial and Leeds are among universities with the largest proportions of Chinese students, according to the latest data from the Higher Education Statistics Authority (Hesa). The OfS said in its annual report on university finances published on Thursday that institutions have been reminded about the impact of 'uncertain geopolitics' on their student intake. It comes after overall foreign student numbers fell by more than a fifth last year, partially due to student visa restrictions brought in by the Tory government. It has led to concerns that universities may scramble to recruit even more students from China this year as they seek to balance the books, and ahead of potential fresh restrictions on other nations. Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly considering applying new restrictions on student visa applications from countries such as Nigeria and Pakistan, where students are considered more likely to overstay and claim asylum in the UK. University leaders have warned that the move will worsen a financial crisis across the sector, after The Telegraph revealed on Wednesday that 43 per cent of UK higher education institutions are currently in a deficit. Chinese students made up the largest foreign intake of any country at UK universities until 2022/23, when a surge in students from India saw the country sail into the top position for the first time. But a drop in foreign students across the board last year and a large decline in Indian enrolments have seen the gap between New Delhi and Beijing narrow. HESA data published on Thursday showed there were 107,489 Indian nationals studying in the UK last year, while 98,4000 were from China. Will Dent, head of financial sustainability at the OfS, told The Telegraph in a media briefing on Thursday: 'By far and away, the biggest domiciles for international students [are] India and China. Those geopolitical risks still apply, and we've certainly commented on that in [our] report for the first time. 'We're able, as part of our engagement with individual institutions, to talk to them about their international strategies at a country level… so we can target our interventions and our discussions with institutions about that, and that's something we're doing.' It comes amid mounting concerns over Chinese influence in the UK, brought to a head last month by a diplomatic spat over a Beijing-owned steel plant in Scunthorpe. The UK Government was forced to take control of British Steel's site in Lincolnshire after Chinese owner Jingye threatened to shut down the furnaces, prompting warnings about Beijing's control over key parts of the UK economy. Experts have also accused British officials of being asleep at the wheel over Chinese interference at UK universities. Call for public register of donations The Telegraph has reported numerous instances in recent months of universities stifling criticism of Beijing on campus for fear of jeopardising lucrative Chinese students and contracts with the country's institutions. The chairman of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee last month urged ministers to create a public register of Chinese donations to British universities. Writing in The Telegraph, Lord Beamish, who served as a Labour MP for 23 years and was Gordon Brown's veterans' minister, warned the Government not to be 'naive' about Chinese influence in British academia and emphasised the need for 'transparency'. Both Sir Keir and Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, have voiced a willingness to engage more with China despite potential challenges as they view Beijing as a key economic driver for the UK. The Department for Education was approached for comment. A UAL spokesman said: 'We value the diversity of our student body, and our international students form a key part of that. 'While we celebrate our international appeal and community, UAL has been alert to the associated risks of reliance on any particular country for a number of years, and has put in place measures to mitigate these. These measures include prioritising globally inclusive recruitment activities and developing our scholarships to help diversify our recruitment.' A University of Southampton spokesman said: 'Our global reputation means Southampton is a popular destination for students from across the world, with international students playing an important and welcome role in our diverse and vibrant community.' A spokesman for Goldsmiths, University of London, said: 'Goldsmiths is a leading creative and cultural university so it should come as no surprise that students from across the world choose to come here to acquire the skills and conduct research that will lead to successful careers. 'Britain's strength in attracting international students is only now seen as a weakness because of a broken university funding model that needs to be urgently fixed.'
