Uni 'flexible' over grades for foreign students

The University of York insists its entry requirements for overseas students remain "as advertised" online

The University of York has said it is taking a "more flexible approach" to recruiting international students, after a national newspaper report claimed it was lowering its entry requirements.

The Financial Times reported that the university was preparing to approve applications from overseas candidates who do not achieve top grades.

Citing an internal memo, the newspaper said the move was driven by "financial challenges".

However, the university's vice-chancellor told the BBC the memo had been "misinterpreted".

The FT reported that in future some undergraduate applications from foreign students would be approved with grades equivalent to B/B/C at A-Level.

That would represent a loosening of the requirements for a number of its courses, which theoretically need straight A grades for applicants to be accepted.

An internal memo said the move was driven by "financial challenges", the Financial Times reported

Quoting the memo, which it said was circulated to academics in December, the newspaper said the decision was "in response to the current financial challenges".

But speaking to BBC Radio 4, the university's vice-chancellor Charlie Jeffery insisted the idea that entry requirements had been lowered was a "misunderstanding".

He said: "What we've done is authorised our academic departments to take a more flexible approach if applicants fall short of the published grades.

"That's exactly what we do for our home students every year."

Charlie Jeffery said the recruitment of international students was vital to help universities serve domestic students

Prof Jeffery said that the recruitment of overseas students was vital to help subsidise the costs of educating domestic students, with tuition fees having been frozen by the government for more than a decade.

He added: "There are really significant pressures on the sector as a whole, as the gap between income and costs for home undergraduate students grows (for universities).

"There is much greater competition in international student recruitment now.

"There are other places which offer a high-quality English language education, such as Australia, Canada and the US and it's tough competition."

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