In a recent article on Times Higher, William Evans argues that charging non-EU students more in fees is discriminatory. My view?
In 12 years of University administration (in both central and academic departments), my experience has been that providing a service to non-EU students makes up a disproportionate amount of the work that administrators do. That may be based on explaining complex processes to someone whose first language isn't English or dealing with cultural differences in approaches to study, cheating, etc.
My impression has always been that part of the justification of higher fees is the amount of work put in to ensure that non-EU students get a comparable experience to the rest of their cohort. This extends beyond the level of support that a British student may require.
I do recognise that part of this imbalance between the support of non-EU and EU students may also have come from expectations of the students themselves. Having paid more than their colleagues have, they demand more in the way of services and support. How far that is true, we'll probably find out when the rise in the fee cap means greater parity in fees between them.
