Duncan Ivison, president of Manchester University, says government’s 6% surcharge plan will ‘hurt the sector’
A levy on tuition fees paid by international students is “wrong”, will “hurt the sector” and is “not in the long-term interests” of the UK, according to the vice-chancellor of one of the country’s leading universities.
Duncan Ivison, who took over as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester (UoM) last year, was speaking ahead of the budget later this month when the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is expected to flesh out her plans for the proposed 6% surcharge.
A higher education veteran who has held leadership roles in Australia and Canada, Ivison said the UK has a golden opportunity to become the global destination for international students, at a time when there is a cap on overseas students in Canada and US universities are under attack from the Trump administration.
“Higher education is something the UK does really, really well. That’s why I came to Manchester. It is a kind of jewel in the crown,” he said.
