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Chinese students at UK universities face ‘acute’ integration challenges: report

They account for a quarter of Britain’s international students, but language and digital barriers keep them from adjusting to local culture

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Fresh graduates of Imperial College London celebrate after their graduation ceremony in London, England in 2022. Photo: In Pictures via Getty Images
Jane Caiin Beijing

Chinese university students in Britain face “particularly acute” integration challenges, meriting further attention from British institutions, according to a new think-tank report.

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The students struggle with English-language proficiency, lack of familiarity with non-Chinese social media and a lack of targeted career support from universities, according to the report released on Thursday by Oxford-based think tank HEPI and education consultancy Uoffer Global.

International student tuition fees account for around 43 per cent of British universities’ tuition revenue, according to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

About a quarter of all international students in Britain are from China, and the £2.3 billion (US$2.9 billion) in fees they pay annually is vital to the United Kingdom’s cash-strapped education sector.

“Given the financial contribution of Chinese students and increasing uncertainty about their future in the UK, institutions must improve the services on offer,” the report says.

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“The better integration of Chinese students would benefit the entire campus community and UK society at large.”

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