{"text":[[{"start":9.65,"text":"Overseas students starting at the University of Cambridge this autumn will pay at least £450,000 for a medicine degree as England’s top-ranking universities plan a 29 per cent rise in international undergraduate fees over four years."}],[{"start":25.35,"text":"The average tuition fee for an overseas undergraduate studying at the country’s leading universities is expected to increase to almost £34,700 by 2028-29, up 29 per cent from 2024-25, according to analysis by the FT."}],[{"start":43.650000000000006,"text":"While domestic students pay a fixed fee, the cost of tuition for those coming from abroad varies between subjects and institutions. "}],[{"start":51.85000000000001,"text":"An overseas student starting a medicine course at the University of Cambridge this autumn will pay at least £456,000 over their six years of study. "}],[{"start":60.75000000000001,"text":"For five years of the degree, they will pay an annual tuition fee of £70,554, which has risen 22 per cent since 2021-22. For one year, they study a different subject, which would cost a minimum of £29,052. "}],[{"start":78.2,"text":"At Cambridge, international undergraduate students also pay an annual fee to their college of between £12,411 and £14,950. This fee does not cover living costs, including accommodation, which the university suggests will amount to an average of £11,745 a year for those who return home during the summer."}],[{"start":null,"text":"
"}],[{"start":100,"text":"Medical students at the University of Oxford pay a minimum of £343,950 for their six-year degree. Fees for some degrees at Oxford have risen 67 per cent over this period, driving the annual cost for undergraduate science, engineering and computing to £62,820. "}],[{"start":120.25,"text":"The data underlines the sector’s growing reliance on overseas students to compensate for a domestic funding shortfall brought about by years of frozen tuition fees for UK students."}],[{"start":131.85,"text":"British undergraduates starting this autumn will pay up to £9,790 a year, just £790 higher than in 2012, although fees do now rise in line with inflation after the Labour government ended years of freezes."}],[{"start":146.9,"text":"Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute think-tank, said the figures would be “shocking” to many people but noted that top universities could charge what they wanted because the degrees they sold were “very elite and very scarce”."}],[{"start":161.85,"text":"He added that overseas fees helped to fund the research that put UK universities at the top of international league tables, as well as cross-subsidising teaching — which is more expensive at Oxford and Cambridge due to the tutorial model."}],[{"start":175.54999999999998,"text":"“It is also worth noting that not everyone pays the full ‘sticker price’ due to bursaries and suchlike,” said Hillman. “Often people from other countries will have their fees paid for them, perhaps by their own government.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":187.64999999999998,"text":"The University of Cambridge said an estimated £2.3mn in funding had supported 31 international medics since 2019 through the Cambridge Trust, in addition to bursaries provided by colleges."}],[{"start":200.54999999999998,"text":"The number of international students on medical degrees is controlled by the UK government, with most institutions capped at recruiting 7.5 per cent of students from overseas."}],[{"start":211.39999999999998,"text":"While some students return home at the end of their degree, a growing number go on to work for NHS England, official data shows."}],[{"start":219.59999999999997,"text":"“The high fees for medical courses reflect the high costs of educating doctors but also the world-class nature of our medical schools and the elite nature of the medical profession,” said Hillman. "}],[{"start":231.34999999999997,"text":"“The fees also reflect the fact that our universities, most of which are charities, have to make money where they can because most of what they do loses money. So they are selling a top-flight medical education to those who can afford it.”"}],[{"start":245.14999999999998,"text":"Ben Moore, head of international policy at the Russell Group, said tuition fees reflected a range of factors, including the cost of teaching and facilities, application numbers and inflation."}],[{"start":256.59999999999997,"text":"“The wider policy environment is also critical here, which is why we continue to work with [the] government on ways to ensure we have a supportive and welcoming immigration system,” he added."}],[{"start":267.4,"text":"The sector regulator has repeatedly warned about “persistent over-optimism” about student recruitment after years of volatility that have contributed to a financial crisis in the sector, which gets a fifth of its income from international fees. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":281.84999999999997,"text":"An annual international levy of £925 per student, which will take effect in August 2028, is expected to increase the financial strain on universities. The official impact analysis forecasts that student enrolments will decline by 14,000 in the first year, costing the sector £270mn."}],[{"start":305.04999999999995,"text":"Jamie Arrowsmith, director of Universities UK International, warned that the levy would exacerbate the financial pressures in the sector."}],[{"start":312.49999999999994,"text":"“Without adequate investment from [the] government, universities will continue to take the difficult decisions needed to respond to the financial pressures they are facing as a result of long-term underfunding,” he said."}],[{"start":333.8999999999999,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1780811642_6128.mp3"}