§ Sir John Hallasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many overseas students have been attending full-time courses in the United Kingdom during the last complete 12 months for which figures are available; and at what cost to the British taxpayer.
§ Mr. St. John-StevasThe number of overseas students attending full-time courses in the United Kingdom during 1971–72, as shown from figures collected during the autumn term of that year, are as follows:
Universities 19,865 Further education: Advanced courses 6,743 Non-advanced courses 12,418 Colleges of education 546 It is not possible to assess the total cost of these students. In the financial year 1971–72 the average costs per student to public funds for all students were as follows:
Current expenditure excluding maintenance grants. £ University 1,250 Advanced further education 895 Colleges of Education (excluding residential accommodation) 565 For non-advanced further education the cost figure was £395, but this average includes costs of students at evening institutes.
Overseas students are charged higher fees than home students and the average costs to the taxpayer quoted above might, therefore, in their case, be reduced. Reliable figures are difficult to arrive at, but the reduction might be of the order of £150–£180 for universities and advanced 409W further education. Overseas students in colleges of education are charged the full economic cost of tuition. For non-advanced further education students the overseas fee is £150. The fees for home students vary widely but are generally substantially less than £150.