Question on international student complaints from Gordon Marsden MP

Written question answered on Wednesday 23 May 2018

Gordon Marsden MP (Labour) asked the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the findings of the report by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education of 26 April 2018 on the relative proportion of international students studying in England and Wales who complain about their university’s handling of a grievance compared to home students.

Answered on 23 May 2018 by Sam Gyimah, Universities Minister

The UK remains a highly attractive destination for international students who come to study at our world class universities. We welcome international students, as they make an important contribution to the UK’s higher education sector both economically and culturally. Higher education institutions are autonomous organisations, but the government expects them to handle student complaints seriously, with providers taking into account the needs of all students when developing procedures for the handling of complaints and academic appeals.

The 2017 annual report by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) lists the student complaints in England and Wales. It notes that 68% of complaints were made by home students, 6% of complaints were made by EU students and 23% of complaints were made by non-EU students. 3% of complaints were made by students whose status was unknown. The report lists several common factors from cases involving international students. These factors include language barriers and financial concerns. The government continues to work closely with the OIA to understand issues relating to student complaints in higher education.