Tag: destination

  • Is the UK still a destination for global students or just global graduates? How will higher education respond?  

    Is the UK still a destination for global students or just global graduates? How will higher education respond?  

    This HEPI blog was kindly authored by Joanna Hart, Products, Services, and Innovation Director at the Mauve Group. 

    In the last couple of months, the UK Government has unveiled a 10-year, Modern Industrial Strategy and published an Immigration whitepaper, which referenced expanding visa pathways such as the High Potential Individual and Global Talent visas. The industrial strategy aims to attract highly skilled global talent in eight priority sectors, with a strong focus on technology and innovation. Collectively, these efforts to attract global graduates are undercut by new barriers facing international undergraduate students. 

    Ongoing changes to the Skilled Worker visa, including steep increases to salary thresholds, and tighter restrictions on dependents, combined with proposals to shorten the Graduate Visa, and introduce a controversial 6%  international student levy, create mounting financial and reputational pressure on UK universities, while also deterring international undergraduates.

    In response, institutions are turning to establishing overseas campuses to offset domestic shortfalls and attract local talent who may still benefit from expanded UK visa pathways post-graduation. While attracting high-level international talent is valuable for addressing skills gaps in the UK, it must be part of a broader, symbiotic strategy. One that nurtures international students from undergraduate level through to employment to ensure UK higher education remains globally competitive.

    Visa routes 

    An important step in the much-needed long-term strategy is the implementation of expanded visa pathways such as the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa and the visa, traditionally for internationally educated post-graduates and entrepreneurs.

    High Potential Individual (HPI) visa

    The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa is a UK immigration pathway designed for recent graduates from 40 top global universities, providing the opportunity to live and work in the UK for several years. At present, 47% of universities on the list are from the US, with just one institution from the entire southern hemisphere featured.  

    The Immigration whitepaper released in May and the UK government’s industrial strategy referenced extending the HPI visa to a wider selection of global universities. According to the UK government, it intends to roll out a ‘capped and targeted expansion of the HPI route for top graduates, doubling the number of qualifying universities.’ However, we do not yet know whether this expansion will be based on global league tables or geographic location. 

    Innovator Founder visa

    The Innovator Founder visa offers the opportunity for founders of new, innovative, viable and scalable businesses to operate in the UK for three years. Traditionally, it facilitates incoming innovation, but the newly announced UK industrial strategy suggested the Innovator Founder Visa would be reviewed to make it easier for entrepreneurial talent currently studying at UK universities to be eligible. Details are yet to be disclosed but recent figures reveal that the average Innovator Founder Visa application success rate to the UK is almost 88%. While this is significant, it is not as high as other visa types, such as the Skilled Worker Visa, which is 99%. While the overall approval rate for Innovator Founder Visa applications sits at 88%, this figure can be misleading. The critical bottleneck is at the endorsement stage the first hurdle in the process, where the success rate drops sharply to just 36%

    Skilled Worker and Graduate visa 

    Changes to visa pathways for domestically educated international students, including the Skilled Worker and Graduate visas, may result in applicants feeling short-changed. For example, it has been proposed that the standard length of the Graduate visa, which allows international students to remain working in the UK at the beginning of their careers, be reduced from two years to 18 months. If implemented, it may make it hard to secure a career after studying in the UK. 

    Meanwhile, effective from the 22nd July 2025, the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker visa will rise to £41,700. Occupation-specific salary thresholds will also increase by about 10%, with the minimum skills requirements raised to Royal Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 6 for new applicants. Prior to the changes, between 30 and 70 per cent of graduate visa holders in employment may not have been working in RQF level 6 or above occupations. Although there are some discounted thresholds for PhD students, especially in STEM fields, these changes are set to exclude many current Skilled Worker visa holders.

    How will higher education respond to stricter selective visa rules?

    Drawbacks

    One of the major drawbacks comes from the announcement that the government is considering introducing a 6% levy on higher education provider income from international students.  It is likely that universities will be forced to consider passing these costs onto international students. The UK’s higher education sector generates £22 billion annually from international students and education, making it a valuable export to the UK in an increasingly competitive global market. The proposed levy risks discouraging international students and undermining this critical source of economic growth.

    Many institutions will already have factored in price increases to account for rising costs going forward, making an additional 6% unfeasible.

    Numerous universities are already struggling financially, with courses and entire departments being cut. With the possibility of a highly reduced international student body due to the levy and further changes to graduate visa pathways, these institutions face increased strain, meaning even more drastic cuts may be imminent.

    Benefits 

    With an emphasis on higher visa thresholds, rising costs and the controversial 6% levy on international fees, UK universities face growing challenges to remain competitive in the global education landscape.

    In response, many are rethinking their models, with institutions like the Universities of Liverpool and Southampton establishing campuses in Bengaluru and Gurugram, India, respectively. UK Universities operate 38 campuses across 18 countries, educating over 67,750 students abroad. Embracing international collaboration not only broadens the research opportunities available to UK universities but also supports financial sustainability and preserves the UK’s reputation as a global education powerhouse. By establishing overseas campuses and hubs, the UK’s academic influence extends well beyond its borders. This pivot will provide opportunities for international students to receive UK-affiliated accreditations, potentially giving them greater access to selective UK visa pathways post-graduation. 

    To adapt, higher education must develop a more integrated approach; one that links international recruitment, offshore campuses, and expanded visa pathways in a cohesive, long-term strategy. This means not only attracting global graduates but supporting students from undergraduate level through to employment, driving opportunity and innovation in the UK. 

    If UK institutions are to remain global leaders, they must work with the government to ensure that opportunity does not begin at graduation; it begins at enrolment. By nurturing this full pipeline, universities can continue to feed the skilled workforce envisioned in the new industrial strategy.

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  • Start from where you are: why digital transformation is more than a final destination

    Start from where you are: why digital transformation is more than a final destination

    Nick Gilbert, Chief Information Officer of the London School of Economics and Political Science, shares perspectives on how institutional leaders can work together to deliver strategic change in challenging times.

    We in universities face well-reported challenges that have brought long-standing strategic imperatives into sharper focus. While the sector has always needed to evolve and transform, today’s operational and financial pressures have added fresh urgency.

    For many, this creates a perceived choice between investing in long-term change and delivering immediate improvements. However, this isn’t an either/or proposition. The priority has to be on today and tomorrow. We cannot afford to focus exclusively on building solutions that will only deliver results in five or fifteen years. Planning for both requires careful navigation from institutional leadership, with the entire leadership team aligned on where we’re going and how we’ll get there.

    Leading strategic change together

    At the heart of these considerations lies the fundamental purpose of universities: the advancement of knowledge and its dissemination. We must constantly evolve to remain institutions of quality, delivering value to students, fostering impactful research, and building capabilities for the future. This multifaceted purpose shapes how leadership teams approach transformation.

    We can no longer afford to simply implement new systems or processes. If our investments aren’t vital to the changes that our organisations need to make to survive and thrive now, we really must be questioning why we’re doing them. These aren’t just operational decisions – they’re strategic choices that require alignment across the leadership team.

    Consider student retention, where challenge and opportunity intersect. We need both immediate interventions and long-term solutions. Many of the 6.4% of students who withdrew last year had not changed their goals. But, rather, they were struggling with a particular issue at a particular time. Identifying these crucial moments in a consistent and systematic manner requires sophisticated infrastructure and processes that many institutions are still considering how to build. Supporting our students with the maturity and capability they deserve demands that our academic and professional services leaders work in concert – and shows up in the right conversation at the right time with the right person.

    Data as a foundation for change

    Data is the cornerstone of the modern university. The development of institutional data capabilities illustrates how organisations can balance immediate value with longer-term transformation. Most universities recognise that they need sophisticated ways to understand and act upon their data – from student engagement patterns to research impact measures. However, achieving this requires careful consideration.

    Building comprehensive data capabilities is an undertaking that every institution needs to consider, and the challenge lies in structuring this work to deliver tangible benefits throughout the journey. Success requires the entire leadership team to understand that while the full vision may take years to realise, we can and must deliver meaningful improvements at regular intervals.

    “Planning digital transformation is like planning a long car journey. You need to know your destination but also need to plan your stops carefully.”

    This approach reflects proven change management principles: begin with well-defined challenges, demonstrate value quickly, and build incrementally with clear institutional support. The institutions making real progress in this space share a common approach. They identify specific challenges – perhaps understanding patterns in student engagement or tracking research collaboration opportunities – and address these systematically. Each solution helps their communities immediately while contributing to more comprehensive capabilities.

    At LSE, I work with colleagues across the institution to ensure this balanced approach delivers results. Like many institutions, we’re exploring how emerging capabilities around data and analytics will reshape research and education. The key is ensuring these forward-looking initiatives also address current needs. When we improve our understanding of student engagement patterns, for instance, we’re simultaneously helping today’s students while building the foundation for more sophisticated support in the future.

    Strategic choices in resource-conscious times

    Institutions have always faced decisions about what capabilities to develop internally versus where to collaborate or buy solutions. One question I see leadership teams grappling with every day is what makes us distinct, and therefore where we should focus our innovation efforts. While these considerations aren’t new, they take on added significance when resources require careful stewardship.

    This calibration extends to decisions about technology investment and development. Whether considering research management systems, student engagement platforms, or data analytics capabilities, institutions must weigh up where to invest in distinctive capabilities versus where to adopt sector-standard approaches. Making the wrong choice doesn’t just affect current operations – it can impact an institution’s transformation journey for years and affect trust between different parts of the organisation. Success requires clear strategic alignment on where distinctive capability matters most.

    Aligning the journey with the destination

    We need to identify our goals, our destination, but that is not enough. I like to think of planning digital transformation like planning a long car journey. You need to know your destination but also need to plan your stops carefully. Each stop should serve multiple purposes – refuelling, rest, perhaps some strategic sightseeing. What you want to avoid is driving for eight hours straight only to realise you’re headed in the wrong direction. And we certainly don’t want to have to keep everyone in the car interested and excited in the journey for eight full hours without seeing any progress. We must start from where we are, end at our final destination, and, crucially, lay out our way markers.

    This means being intentional about both immediate improvements and long-term transformation. As universities, we have a responsibility to push boundaries while ensuring we deliver value to our students and society today. This balance between innovation and operational excellence is something every institution must navigate. Going on that journey as connected leadership teams and being collectively clear where we will see value along the way is vital if we are to be successful.

    While the current environment may add complexity to this task, the fundamental approach remains sound: start from where you are, deliver value as you go, and keep your destination clearly in sight. What matters most is taking that first step together, with a shared understanding of both immediate priorities and long-term ambitions.

    Nick Gilbert will be speaking at Kortext LIVE in London on 29January 2025. Join Nick and other education and technology expert speakers at a series of three events for HE leaders hosted at Microsoft’s offices in London, Edinburgh and Manchester during late January and early February. Find out more and register your free place here.

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