Responding to the Sunday Times report, Alex Proudfoot, Chief Executive of Independent Higher Education (IHE), said:
"The UK is very fortunate to be the preferred choice of so many young people who want an international education, second only in the world to the USA. International students in the UK enliven our campuses, enrich our communities, and extend the cultural and economic horizons of UK students far beyond the country of their birth. They also provide an essential injection of funding into the higher education system, making a far wider range of courses economically viable and thus available to UK students than would otherwise be the case.
"Collectively, the independent sector serves an essential purpose in widening access to and participation in higher education as well as supporting the availability of a broader choice of courses, subjects and learning models through the existence of specialist institutions. IHE members build bridges between different levels of learning and different professional goals, creating diverse pathways through a varied ecosystem of education and training. Many of them see it as their mission to meet students where they are, to help them to progress and achieve their full potential.
"At times the public debate seems regrettably stuck in a past where university was the preserve of the elite and a lever against social mobility instead of its single greatest engine. It has always been the case that many more students would benefit from higher education than actually secure themselves a place. Pathway and foundation programmes which immerse students in a higher education environment while delivering precisely the skills and knowledge they need to succeed at degree level have been proven time and again to be the most effective choice for bridging gaps in prior academic attainment – more so than any equivalent level 3 course – and could be made much more widely available to UK students as well with the right funding in place.
"Everyone who would benefit from higher education should be given the opportunity to pursue it. The acquisition of knowledge is not a zero sum game. Nevertheless, quality is the foundation of UK higher education's global reputation and deservedly so. We have a world-leading infrastructure of quality and standards, protected by rigorous regulation and a culture of quality enhancement upheld by individual academics, professionals and institutional leaders who put the student interest first. IHE will work with all our partners in government and across the sector to ensure this reputation is preserved."