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Yasmin – not her real name – came from Iran to study for a master’s degree at a new university in the UK, but she was “shocked” to find many of her fellow students had limited English, and only one or two were British. “How is it possible to continue this coursework without understanding a British accent or English properly?” she tells BBC File on 4.
Most students paid other people to do their coursework, she explains, and some would pay people to register their attendance at lectures for them.
Yasmin’s experience reflects a growing concern. The University and College Union (UCU) says some institutions are overlooking language skills to receive high fees from overseas students, and one professor tells us 70% of his recent master’s students had inadequate English.
Universities UK – which represents 141 institutions – rejects the claims and says there are strict language requirements for students coming from abroad.
Jo Grady from the UCU, which represents 120,000 lecturers and university staff, says it is an open secret that students who lack English skills find ways to come to the UK to study. “When we speak to members we hear about the tricks that are pulled in order to have people pass the relevant language test and get on to courses,” she says.
About seven out of 10 students studying on master’s courses in England are now from overseas, far higher than on other types of higher education course, says Rose Stephenson from the Higher Education Policy Institute, an independent think tank.
In England, university tuition fees for undergraduate domestic students are capped at £9,250, rising to £9,535 per year in 2025-26. Each of the other UK nations set their own fees. But fees for overseas students studying in England have no upper limit.
“You can charge a foreign student as much as they’re willing to pay,” says Ms Stephenson.
One whistleblower who worked at an education provider that prepares international students for university, told us agents would target families abroad who had the money to pay.
The whistleblower – who has previously also spoken to the Sunday Times – said: “We knew that those universities are increasingly desperate and would go along with our plans without much scrutiny into how those students were being found. It’s the Wild West, in a way.”
A Russell Group university professor, who has taught at several universities and wants to remain anonymous, echoes Yasmin’s concerns. He tells File on 4 that 70% of his students at master’s degree level over the past five years did not have sufficient English language skills to be on the course.
Since January, foreign postgraduate students on non-research courses are no longer able to bring family members to the UK…
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