Falling student numbers could become "new normal," union warns
Earlier this month it was reported the University of Sheffield faces a £50m shortfall this year after a drop of 2,200 students. This is a reduction of around seven per cent compared to 2022-23 when 30,307 students attended the university.
Falling admissions are likely to be “the new normal,” according to David Hayes vice president of Sheffield University and College Union (UCU).
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Hide AdMr Hayes said: “What we are hearing from our university is that they expect the lower numbers that we are getting now will be the new normal rather than a temporary blip.


“There is a sector-wide issue affecting universities of funding from central government being cut and tuition fees rising which means universities are increasingly dependent on recruitment of international students to cover costs.
“The caps on tuition fees for international students are much higher than home students meaning historically international markets such as China, Malaysia and Nigeria have been very profitable for universities. But we are seeing a lot of these countries are facing economic problems at home which means there are fewer students with the financial means to study abroad.”
Mr Hayes’ words reflect a wider theme of falling student numbers across the country.
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Hide AdThe number of new students at the University of Bradford is predicted to fall by 25 per cent compared to last year. This includes the target for international students which is less than half what was hoped for with 1,000 fewer taken on for this academic year.
Recently released Home Office figures show that there were 25,200 fewer applications for visas to study in the UK in August this year than in the same month last year.
In 2024/25 the average undergraduate tuition fees for full-time overseas undergraduates at the University of Sheffield was £22,680 to £29,110. For home students, tuition fees for full-time undergraduates are capped at £9,250.
Since January most international students have been banned from bringing family members to live with them in the UK. The rule was introduced last year by the conservative government which had committed to bringing immigration numbers down.
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Hide AdMr Hayes said: “The previous Tory government had a very strong rhetoric on cutting immigration by any means necessary including cracking down on the number of international students who could come in. The trouble is that this means taking a lot of money away from universities and without providing another way of claiming it.”
All departments at the University of Sheffield . have been told to make savings over the next year, with no details on potential redundancies announced. The university employs 8,606 people and is reviewing infrastructure projects as it looks to tackle the shortfall.