English universities are calling on Andy Burnham to reverse the incoming international student levy, in the hope that his past support for the sector will mean he offers it a more sympathetic ear.
The government plans to charge universities £925 per international student they enrol from August 2028 onwards, a move that is widely unpopular among institutions, which say it will add to their financial woes.
Vice-chancellors are quietly hopeful that lobbying a new prime minister, and a likely new ministerial team in the Department for Education, can secure more concessions, or even see the policy scrapped entirely. While the government has committed publicly to the levy, it has not been legislated for and its launch is still two years away.
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, confirmed a plan to renew efforts to fight the levy when outgoing prime minister Keir Starmer’s replacement takes office.
“The international student fee levy puts us in the bizarre situation of the government effectively putting a tariff on a UK export,” she said.
