Pathways add around £830m to UK economy – NCUK report
Published 12/03/2024
Data from a leading pathway provider has shown that seven in 10 of students who studied its International Foundation Year and almost nine in 10 of International Year One students earned at least a 2:1 when they completed their bachelors programs.
NCUK’s Power and Impact of International Pathways report details the success of its students, making it the first pathway known to share the information publicly.
In addition to outlining the benefits of pathway programs for students, the document also details their beneficial impact for universities, host countries and their economies, as well as sending countries.
“International pathways support students of all abilities, empowering each student to achieve their university ambitions,” Stuart Smith, CEO of NCUK, said.
The report said that 81% of IFY program international students passed the qualification, with 35% achieving AAA, while 87% of International Year One Program international students passed, with 16% achieving an overall distinction
It comes after national press investigated the use of pathways, alleging that the route was being used unfairly to give international students an advantage over international classmates.
NCUK’s release, based on 2021/22 data, could encourage other pathway providers to also be more transparent about the success of their students.
“We should celebrate the power and impact of pathway routes in transforming lives through education,” Smith added.
The report outlines why international pathways, that act are bridges between local qualifications and the education systems in destination countries, are “important routes” for students that need further academic or language support.
Pathway programs help broaden access for students, but the are also “essential to standardising international education, providing international students with a well-rounded foundation for success in future academic studies”, the report states.
They also help with diversification aims in international higher education, it continues.
While geo-political instability, shifting demographics and economic headwinds “cause challenges for the sector”, pathway providers can “be a point of stability and hedge against the unavoidable risk institutions take in relying on income from education exports”.
“Current market conditions are challenging for universities across the UK, Canada and Australia and this report showcases the role pathway providers can play in supporting recruitment as a distinct channel from direct recruitment and in-country agents,” said Oliver Jawara, Director at Nous Group, which partnered with NCUK on the report.
“As a sector, we have an issue around no longer collecting enough data on international graduate outcomes”
NCUK, founded in 1987 by a consortium of universities in northern England, has also started to look at how it can gather and analyse more data “to further demonstrate the value of pathway routes”, Smith continued.
“As a sector, we have an issue around no longer collecting enough data on international graduate outcomes,” he said.
Based on research from the Higher Education Policy Institute in 2023, the UK’s pathway provision accounted for at least £830m of the total £37.4bn value of the country’s international higher education market.
NCUK’s graduates have contributed an estimated £670m to the UK economy, the research suggested.
Earlier this year, Universities UK asked the Quality Assurance Agency to undertake a review of international foundation programs, following critical media coverage in the national press.
Writing for HEPI, policy manager, Josh Freeman, asked whether UK universities can demonstrate that their foundation year courses are high-quality and that those who pass the year can go on to achieve a degree with a high grade.
“The purpose of a foundation year is to make higher education accessible for students for whom it would not be otherwise,” Freeman said.
“Institutions should be honest about whether their courses achieve these goals – if only to make the QAA investigation easier.”
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