Overseas fear on science and maths courses

Growing numbers of science and maths students at British universities are from abroad, rather than the UK, which could have a damaging effect on the economy, a study suggests.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Dec 2011, 08:50 BST

It warns that an increasing proportion of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses are being taken up by people from outside the UK.

If these international students return home after completing their studies, it is their own nation that will benefit from their UK education, not the UK itself.

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The study, by the think tank Civitas, analyses official higher education data to look at where STEM students are from.

The findings show that in all four groups of STEM subjects examined, overseas students had grown at a faster rate than British student numbers, and that these students are increasingly from countries outside the EU.

There were 33,298 more computer science students in 2006/07 than in 1996/97, and overseas students accounted for 41.7 per cent of this rise, the study found.

And the number of British engineering and technology students fell by 5,769 during this 10-year period, while the number of international students increased by 12,308.

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Overseas students also accounted for 26.4 per cent of the increase in mathematical science students during the same period, along with 34 per cent of the increase in student numbers for physical sciences.

The report suggests that these developments may have “a serious and negative effect upon the British economy, while other countries benefit”.

Study author Stephen Clarke said: “If a growing number of overseas students from outside the EU are filling an increasing proportion of STEM places in British universities, and a significant proportion of them return home, the British economy will not get the long-term benefits of these students.”

A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokeswoman said: “International students make an important contribution to our economy and we want to continue to encourage the brightest and best to come and study at our world-class institutions.

“The Government also recognises the importance of science and technical skills to driving growth and the need for more young people to take up STEM subjects.”

Related topics:Government