Nearly half of the complaints were about academic appeals, including problems with marking and final degree results. PA
Nearly half of the complaints were about academic appeals, including problems with marking and final degree results. PA
Nearly half of the complaints were about academic appeals, including problems with marking and final degree results. PA
Nearly half of the complaints were about academic appeals, including problems with marking and final degree results. PA

International students' complaints about UK universities surge to record high


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

Complaints from international students to the UK universities watchdog surged to a record high last year.

A total of 3,137 complaints from all university students in England and Wales were made to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator last year - a 10 per cent increase on 2022.

International students, who pay higher tuition fees than domestic students, made 1,268 complaints about UK universities in 2023 – the “highest level yet”.

The number of complaints from non-EU students – which accounted for nearly 90 per cent of complaints from international students – rose by 43 per cent, the OIA said.

Despite the complaints, there has been a surge in applicants from the UAE to British institutes even as European Union universities offer GCC students more relaxed visas.

Complaints from home undergraduates reduced and this was most notable in the number of complaints relating to “service issues”.

The category had been higher in previous years because of Covid-19 and industrial action, the watchdog said.

Overall, nearly half (45 per cent) of the complaints to the OIA from students were about academic appeals, including problems with marking and final degree results, up from 38 per cent in 2022.

The watchdog said the rise in complaints about academic matters has been concentrated in complaints from non-EU students and postgraduate students.

More than half of the complaints from international students related to academic appeals – a higher proportion than for home students.

“For international students there is often substantial personal and financial investment involved in coming to study in the UK, and sometimes sponsorship arrangements, leading to a possible greater sense of pressure to ‘succeed’ in their studies," the report said.

“It can also be more difficult for international students to make use of options such as taking time out from their studies if they are experiencing difficulties, and some options may not be available to them due to visa requirements.”

It added there are issues that are more likely to affect international students, including the tightening of visa restrictions.

The watchdog said other issues were raised in complaints from international students, which included termination of studies “due to a lack of attendance or engagement” – most commonly in the context of visa requirements – and the practices of some recruitment agents.

UK university rankings - in pictures

  • 1 University of St Andrews. Getty Images
    1 University of St Andrews. Getty Images
  • 2 University of Oxford. Getty Images
    2 University of Oxford. Getty Images
  • 3 University of Cambridge. Getty Images
    3 University of Cambridge. Getty Images
  • 4 London School of Economics and Political Science. Getty Images
    4 London School of Economics and Political Science. Getty Images
  • 5 Imperial College London. Getty Images
    5 Imperial College London. Getty Images
  • 6 University College London. Getty Images
    6 University College London. Getty Images
  • 7 Durham University. Alamy
    7 Durham University. Alamy
  • 8 University of Bath. Wikimedia Commons
    8 University of Bath. Wikimedia Commons
  • 9 University of Warwick. Alamy
    9 University of Warwick. Alamy
  • 10 Loughborough University. Wikimedia Commons
    10 Loughborough University. Wikimedia Commons

It comes after the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) raised concerns on Tuesday about agents recruiting prospective international students who may be “mis-selling UK higher education”.

“It can be more difficult for international students who may come from very different academic backgrounds to fully understand what to expect from UK higher education and it’s important that higher education providers are as clear as possible about what students can expect and make sure that any agents they use also provide clear and accurate information," a representative for the OIA said.

The OIA report said 2023 was “another complex and challenging year” in the higher education sector, with increasingly acute financial pressures on providers, the continuing high cost of living, housing issues, and ongoing concerns about student mental health and wellbeing.

Overall, students received more than £1.2 million ($1.5m) in compensation in 2023, which is higher than the previous year.

“In 2023, my first year as independent adjudicator, our team handled more complaints than ever before," independent adjudicator Helen Megarry said.

“We helped to bring resolution and closure for students on the issues that matter to them.

“It was a difficult time for many students and providers, making the work we do in sharing good practice and promoting learning from complaints even more important.”

A Universities UK (UUK) representative said: “There are over two million students in English higher education institutions. The vast majority of students report being satisfied overall with their experience at UK universities.

“There will be some instances when students are unhappy, and the OIA report provides useful feedback to help universities to improve and focus more support – for example around financial and mental health issues.

“Universities will take this latest report on board and continue to work hard so every student receives the quality of education they deserve.”

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

World Cricket League Division 2

In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.

UAE fixtures

Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final

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Arabian Gulf League fixtures:

Friday:

  • Emirates v Hatta, 5.15pm
  • Al Wahda v Al Dhafra, 5.25pm
  • Al Ain v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, 8.15pm

Saturday:

  • Dibba v Ajman, 5.15pm
  • Sharjah v Al Wasl, 5.20pm
  • Al Jazira v Al Nasr, 8.15pm
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THREE
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Pathaan
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The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed

Power: 720hp

Torque: 770Nm

Price: Dh1,100,000

On sale: now

MATCH INFO

Everton 0

Manchester City 2 (Laporte 45 2', Jesus 90 7')

'Top Gun: Maverick'

Rating: 4/5

 

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

 

Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris

 
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Unresolved crisis

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.

Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

Updated: May 17, 2024, 8:06 AM