Universities across the UK should open specialist funds for international students, according to a report, after finding international students are “regularly reported to be at risk” when it comes to funding. How to overcome the study cost crisis: The Higher Education Policy Institute's report on university support for students also said the government's advice to international students on the costs of living in the UK needs to be adjusted. HEPI suggests that companies that allow foreign applicants to misrepresent their available funds should be “disqualified.” In the survey, HEPI found that international students were "frequently reported to be at risk," which is surprising because they have to prove they have enough financial support during the candidacy process. “Almost every finance team” told researchers stories of international students borrowing money for proof of funds or that students had found government recommendations on spending requirements insufficient. The government requires students to show proof of £1,334 per month for courses in London and £1,023 per month outside the capital to cover living expenses. HEPI also said companies lend money to students in exchange for fees to help them meet their financial needs. PIE has identified companies offering these options, which stakeholders say discourage students from using them. The report said this had led to students being “increasingly underfunded” when arriving in the UK. The cost of living crisis, the 20-hour work limit and the need to be fully funded, mean many international students are not covered by university hardship funding, he added. also aggravates the problem. Universities including Greenwich, De Montfort and Warwick have used OfS funding to create new funds or add to existing funds for international students, while Newcastle Students' Union shares support for student costs operates through WeChat accounts, mainly for Chinese students. student. Statistical analysis from 140 university responses and interviews with nearly 60 university experts also revealed that approximately 27% of universities operate food banks, including one-third of belongs to the Russell Group. However, it does not state whether they are regularly used by international students. Report author Josh Freeman said universities are “stepping up” when students face financial hardship, but more needs to be done. He explained that research has found that financial hardship is a growing problem for international students in the UK.

“Universities should streamline bureaucratic hardship funds and set up processes to move more quickly,” he said, but the report also questions whether universities should be the ones plugging student finance gaps.

Speaking with The PIE, Freeman emphasised that government advice for international students needs to be updated to reflect the accurate cost of living in the UK. The universities it surveyed also indicated that the numbers of international students lacking enough funds is growing, he added. They also reported that some money international students earned during their part-time work was being sent back to their home countries, rather than being spent on living costs in the UK, he said. Pointing to the examples of universities using OfS funding to support international students, he said, “There needs to be enough money available for universities to have hardship funds that are available for international students.”