According to a report published by the Birmingham Commonwealth Association (BCA), and supported by Birmingham City Council’s International Affairs Team, using the most recent reliable figures it has been conservatively calculated that international students (non-EU) bring in over £400 million per academic year. Of this sum, approximately £100 million is generated from Commonwealth Students.
Chairman of the BCA, Keith Stokes-Smith said “Birmingham’s five universities make the city the largest centre of higher education in the country outside London. Our calculations tell us that the total economic impact is in the region of £412 million and that figure does not include the number of students studying at private institutions in the city nor the higher spending associated with postgraduate students who are likely to comprise a significant proportion of non-EU international students studying in the city.
”The report was put together by the Associations Chairman of its Education Focus Group, Professor Melvyn Pryer of University College Birmingham. Commenting upon the report Professor Pryer thanked the five Birmingham Universities and three of the larger colleges for their input into the research as well as Marketing Birmingham, the cities strategic marketing partner.
“Our calculations were based upon 2013/2014 data, the most recent available, and considered and quantified three key areas,” he said, “taking into account
direct, indirect and induced effects:
“-the sums expended by international students on subsistence
-the fees paid by international students to Birmingham Institutions
-and finally, the sum expended by the visiting friends and relatives of International students.
“The most numerous international students were from China followed by Nigeria and India. The report was put together before the EU referendum exit decision. Universities will now need to react to the potential loss of EU students which we roughly believe will have a £50 million plus negative impact upon the city.”
