International students studying at universities across the UK had an opportunity to share their experiences with university leaders at The PIE Live Europe last week.
At the student roundtable breakout session, students candidly shared personal experiences about their time in the UK, as well as the extent to which they believe the UK is meeting their needs as international students.
While there were a list of prompts on the table to facilitate the dialogue, conversations between students and university and provider representatives emerged organically, with stakeholders eager to learn firsthand about the student journey, and students keen to share.
Blessing Okoroafor an international student studying at Coventry University discussed how her UK education well prepared her for employment post graduation. And for Okoroafor, that time has arrived, as her graduation occurred on the day of the round table.
“Today is my graduation day,” she told The PIE News. “But it is so important for me to be here and to share my story about how the UK prepared me for the future.”
In discussing employability and specific skills she acquired during her time at Coventry, she said, “My UK education helped me with time management, with prioritising.”
She noted that employability is not just about the soft and hard skills. “I believe that not only will my future employers recognise the skills I learned at my university, but also, they will recognise my potential, and that is a powerful force.”
“Growing up in India, the pursuit of higher education in the UK was considered to be aspirational”
Adityavarman Mehta is a doctoral researcher of politics and international studies at the University of Leeds and spoke about the dream of a UK education. “While growing up in India, the pursuit of higher education in the UK was considered to be aspirational. Having done the IGCSE, I had first-hand exposure to the academic rigour of a British education.”
However, Mehta indicated that beginning graduate school in the UK was not without its challenges.
“Finding accommodation in Leeds was a monumental undertaking. Since I’m not a British citizen, I was asked to supply a guarantor or pay 6-12 months’ rent in advance. Which established professional, let alone a student, can pay so much rent upfront?”
He also discussed the significant housing shortage in Leeds and how he was forced to utilise the private rental market because university accommodation was booked months before he received his visa.
Banking also emerged as an issue for many of the international students in the room. They indicated that the timeframe is often over 10 weeks to set up a bank account. Moreover, when housing is delayed, it impacts the opening of an account, as banks require a UK address.
“It is crucial for the higher education sector to be cognisant of the importance of life essentials such as housing and banking. If students cannot access housing and banking, how are they supposed to focus on their education?” Mehta implored.
“More importantly, universities must be transparent in their communication of these issues because they are key considerations in a prospective student’s decision to pursue a degree at a university,” he added.
“I feel left out of conversations about international students”
Sára Kozáková, a master’s student at Newcastle University, discussed an issue with tuition fee labels that has made her UK educational experience challenging. “As a European student with pre-settled status, who has been consequently given the ‘home student’ tuition fee label, I feel like I don’t belong anywhere.
“As a student who is currently not ‘home enough’ nor ‘international enough,’ I feel left out of conversations about international students because data-wise I am categorised as a home student.”
She believes for her, the pre-settled status has taken away her European identity, but that the status can also create confusion among institutions and students themselves.
“We need to rethink the labels we put on students, otherwise we are not sending a welcoming message if we keep neglecting a whole group of students based on labels,” Kozáková concluded.
