NI Education: Student number cap acts as 'economic handbrake'

In 2019, two-thirds of the 17,000 Northern Irish students who studied in Great Britain did not return

A cap on student numbers at Northern Ireland's universities is acting as an "economic handbrake", MPs have warned.

The number of local students is controlled using the Maximum Aggregate Student Number (MASN) formula.

It is set by Stormont's Department for the Economy and depends on available funding.

MPs on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (NIAC) report the cap makes it harder to attract investment and impedes business growth.

Northern Ireland's universities have long campaigned for the cap to be lifted.

Higher tuition fees

In 2020, the student cap stood at between 6,000 and 7,000 across Northern Ireland's two universities.

Earlier this year, then-Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said increasing the number of university places would mean higher tuition fees or taking money from other Stormont departments.

Northern Ireland students who study at local universities currently pay about £4,500 a year in tuition fees, compared to more than £9,000 for those who study in England.

The Westminster committee said: "The university cap leads many Northern Ireland students to leave to obtain high-level qualifications, which they then take into employment elsewhere in the UK or overseas.

"This places a handbrake on the Northern Ireland economy, with international and other firms either less willing to invest in the first place or unable to fill job vacancies and increase their existing investments."

The Westminster committee's report called for changes to NI skills policy

The MPs said the UK government should explore with the Northern Ireland Executive how the cap on university numbers might be raised to "enable the retention of home-grown talent and an expansion of the high-skilled sectors of its economy".

The executive has not met since February due to a political stalemate at Stormont.

About 28% of students from Northern Ireland are studying elsewhere in the UK.

Typically, a third of that cohort come back to work or study in Northern Ireland post graduation.

The numbers of Great Britain and international undergraduate students are uncapped as their places are not funded by Stormont.

Simon Hoare, chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, said politicians at Stormont should be "battering down the door of Westminster and Whitehall to argue its case".

"Stormont isn't sitting - that was one of the things that came through in the report, political instability or the lack of political stability is an inhibitor for investment."

Mr Hoare said options that could be considered included reviewing existing spending commitments to find savings and the potential raising of fees.

'Invest in skills'

Queen's University Belfast vice-chancellor Prof Ian Greer said there is an "urgent need to address the sustainability of the higher education sector in Northern Ireland".

"On an annual basis, current government policy is forcing approximately 5,000 of our school leavers to seek university places outside of Northern Ireland and less than a third of that figure return," he added.

"By 2030, this number is expected to rise to 10,000.

"Therefore, we need to significantly invest in skills to make Northern Ireland a more attractive place to live and work, and we welcome the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee's timely proposals, in particular the call for partnership."