Overseas students ‘worth 10 times the cost’ to UK, says report

New in-depth look at the price of hosting EU and non-EU students shows benefits far outweigh cost to taxpayer

International students are worth about 10 times more to the UK economy than they cost the taxpayer, according to a new report that will add to pressure currently mounting on the country’s government for a shift in policy on the issue.

The analysis, which, unlike most similar studies in the past, looks at the cost of hosting overseas students as well as the benefits, calculates the bill at £2.3 billion, including use of the NHS and other public services.

This is still far less than the benefits, including tuition fees and spending while in the UK, that amount to an estimated £23 billion for one student cohort, according to the report by London Economics for the Higher Education Policy Institute and Kaplan.

The resulting £20.3 billion net impact is, on average, the equivalent of £310 for every resident, the report estimates, with the effects reaching right across the UK, although London tends to see the highest returns.