The vice-chancellor of Durham University has branded the incoming international student levy “absolute insanity” as universities plan to lobby the next prime minister to overturn the controversial tax.
Karen O’Brien, who has led the university since 2022, said if she had to ask for one thing from a refreshed government, it would be to take the policy “off the table”.
She is the latest to weigh in as the sector asks the likely next prime minister Andy Burnham to consider scrapping the levy.
It is planned to come into force from August 2028 and will see English universities charged £925 for each overseas student they enrol.
The government has said funds raised by the levy will go towards the reintroduction of maintenance grants for domestic students who “need them most”.
