Glasgow University is considering a 'review of entry requirements' to address international student recruitment

This comes after the University was exposed for offering entry to access courses at reduced grade requirements for international students. 

Newly-released minutes from February’s meeting of the University Court show that discussions surrounding international students involved proposals for “a review of entry requirements” in order to stimulate recruitment of lucrative international students.

International student fees have become increasingly crucial to university funding, however their numbers at Glasgow have fallen over the past two academic years. After surging to over 14,000 in the 2021/2 academic year, numbers have now slumped to just over 11,000 - making up roughly one third of students at Glasgow. 

Despite this decrease in actual enrolments, data obtained by Freedom of Information request show that offers handed out to international students for both undergraduate and postgraduate study actually increased between 2021 and 2024.

Elsewhere in the University sector, the number of international students has continued to fall, creating financial pressure on already stretched institutions. Several Scottish universities have issued redundancy warnings to staff, following cuts to higher education announced in the last Budget. 

While the University is yet to release data on offers and enrolments for the coming academic year, the University Court noted that: “the international student recruitment landscape continued to be challenging for the UK higher education sector, with the vast majority of institutions, including Russell Group peers, signalling a downturn in applications against this point in the cycle last year.”

Discussing a report from the Principal, Sir Anton Muscatelli, they went on to say that: “A number of mitigations were being deployed to increase the applicant funnel and improve the conversion rate. These included a review of entry requirements, offer optimisation, targeted scholarships, increased in-country resource and new activities.”

This news comes after the University was critcised for its “chaotic” Glasgow International College, which offers international students access “foundation courses” at reduced entry requirements but which nonetheless lead into an undergraduate degree at Glasgow.

Students at Glasgow International College (GIC) were reported to have been paying annual fees ranging from £20,000 to £42,000. Some GIC students also raised concerns about the quality of teaching at the college, as well as the level of English competency among some of the students.

The University was also re-audited by the Home Office in April after being faced with the possibility of losing its license to recruit foreign students. This came after an initial audit carried out by United Kingdom Visas and Immigration last term found “several compliance issues” with the University’s enrolment process for international students. 

Despite this, emails uncovered by Hillhead Review show that, following the initial audit, the University urged staff that international enrolments would “continue as normal”.

The University of Glasgow has also tightened attendance monitoring in lectures and seminars, this year. The University has argued that this is necessary to uphold legal requirements which allow international students to live and study in the UK. 

However, some students are unhappy with this requirement, suggesting that staff are made to be “extensions of UK Border Force” by tracking attendance and allowing international students to remain enrolled. 

The University of Glasgow said last December that they were “confident” necessary changes would be implemented following the audit, allowing international students to remain in the UK.

Several University bosses have recently raised concerns related to funding in the university sector. Earlier this semester, the University of Dundee announced plans to make 20% of its workforce redundant after the University was left with a £35 million deficit - a decision which was described by the General Secretary of the University and College Union as a “hammer-blow” to staff and students. 

Principal of the University of Edinburgh, Peter Mathieson, branded the situation “a tragedy” and said that his own institution would have to undergo a “radical rewiring” likely including cuts to staff numbers.

Yesterday, Vivienne Stern, the Chief Executive of Universities UK (an advocacy group for the sector) released a statement which read: “The reality for most universities is that they have had to make serious cuts. Falling per-student funding, visa changes which have decreased international enrolments, and a longstanding failure of research grants to cover costs are creating huge pressures in all four nations of the UK. 

“University leaders are gripping the problem. UUK is working to help them through our Efficiency and Transformation Taskforce, which will publish its first outputs in the next few weeks. But we need governments in all four nations of the UK to do their bit. That means increasing per student funding; stabilising international student visa policy; and working with us to sort out the research funding system. There is also a long list of things which government does which imposes cost or barriers to collaboration which we want to work through, item by item, to get the barnacles off the boat.

“Our universities are something the UK can be genuinely proud of. They contribute over a quarter of a trillion pounds to the economy each year and are essential to the Government's growth ambitions and the UK’s future economic success. We need them to be firing on all cylinders.”

Published 7 May 2025