It’s no secret that the UK is a magnet for many overseas students. It offers a lot of opportunity to them, as well as a first class education that will be respected wherever they go. However, did you know that they actually offer a lot of benefits to the UK? Here’s how international students add billions to the economy of the UK.

The International Student Experience in the UK

Students in the UK are offered a full and varied life as university attendees the whole time they attend classes. They can access new and exclusive activities, thanks to many student unions being able to bring in big names for entertainment.

Thanks to working laws for students, international students can work alongside their classes. This means they have much more cash to spend while they’re at university. It also helps other businesses, as they can afford to staff their premises.

The only problem some students come across is finding good accommodation. They pay good money for their accommodation, but with demand being so high it can be hard to find a comfortable place to live.

How International Students Are Earning Money

So, how are international students earning the money to keep themselves going at university?

Many are working in stores and businesses near their universities, as it’s legal for them to work alongside their studies. They find this to be one of the best ways to supplement their money while they’re away. Like most domestic students, they find the jobs to be perfect to fit around their schedules.

Other students are now looking to find other ways to earn while they study. Those who live in domestic households either can’t get to physical workplaces easily, or want to earn with their writing skills. ‘We’ve found many students are now signing up work with us’ says economic expert and teacher Gerald Sanders from UK Writings and OXEssays. ‘I’ve helped them earn cash alongside their studies, and they’ve found it to be very rewarding.’

How Much Money Do International Students Bring In

In a study conducted by Universities UK states that international students bring in at least £25 billion a year to the UK. This is a huge amount of money, and universities are aware of how much international students are worth. This is why they’re always courted every year, to ensure that the money keeps coming in.

Of that £25 billion, £.48 billion is paid to British universities in university fees. These can help universities keep going. In fact, this accounts for 14% of all university income. As well as this, visitors to see UK based students spent £520 million a year, meaning that international students are responsible for much more income to the UK than one would expect.

What Are International Students Spending Their Money On?

So, if so much of this money is making it into the UK economy, where are international students spending?

Some evidence suggests that students are spending it on tools and services that will help them pass their courses at university. Many struggle with the rules in place for submitting assignments, and need some extra help. However, their professors don’t have the time to walk them through everything they need to know.

‘There’s a lot of international students that just need an extra hand with getting their assignments done’ says professor Timothy Andrews from Boom Essays. ‘I wonder how many actually know how to cite sources before they get to university, because so many come to us needing help.’ 

A study from Essayroo agrees. They found that many international students are turning to proofreading agencies to get support with their university work. That means that they’re spending a lot of their hard earned money on getting the help that they should be getting from university on getting it elsewhere.

What This Means for UK Universities

As you can see, it’s no wonder that UK universities are working on bringing more overseas students into the UK. When they bring in so much money, and contribute so much overall to their earnings, it’s easy to see why. However, they can sometimes get a raw deal and need some more support.

There’s no doubt that being an overseas student is tough on anyone. You’re in a country with no one you know, and possibly a language that isn’t the same as your own. That means that you’re going to need support wherever you can get it. For many of these students, that means that they’ll have to pay third-party sources for it. There’s no doubt that they’re getting high-quality assistance, but it’s not right that they pay for university fees and don’t see the same benefits as their domestic counterparts.

All in all, though, it’s clear that overseas students should be welcomed into the country, as they’re such a boon to the economy. With such drastic changes being proposed to immigration though, it remains to be seen whether they’ll keep coming in.