Crisis-hit university students ordered to leave UK

20 comments

1. Sounds like their issue is with the Nigerian government letting it’s currency devalue so much. Why aren’t they down at the embassy asking them for assistance?

2. What exactly do they want the university to do?

   Let them carry on studying at a cost to the university? For a course that other students are paying for.

   Who exactly are we meant to feel sorry for too.

   If someone from Nigeria can afford to travel to the UK to study while paying student fees, they are probably wealthier than the average British lecturer let alone average British or even Nigerian.

   The poor people will have to go back to Nigeria where they have the funds to buy a house outright.

3. Love the “respect the contract you have with your students” sign.

   The contract is that the students pay, and in return the University sponsors their visa, and teaches their course.

   Students don’t pay, then they are the ones not honouring the contact, not the students.

4. Direct your anger to your government.

   It’s like me being made redundant by my employer and then getting angry at the bank because I can’t pay my mortgage.

5. Yea, not the uks problem. If u default on a payment, that’s on you

6. Whenever I read Reddit threads these days I am always struck with how mean spirited this section of society is.

7. Looks like these crop of international students can now plainly see just how much the university considers them as nothing more than cash cows that must either pay or go.

8. r/unitedkingdom feel empathy challenge (impossible)

9. Trained at Teesside so have a fondness for the University. It’s an absolutely terrible situation for the students for sure. It’s really shit. But realistically they are paying for a service at a private organisation. It’s an exchange of service. If they cannot pay for that service, what is the alternative? They are not UK nationals, they are visiting to receive education. This is an issue for their nation, not the university.

10. This has nothing to do with the University, and everything to do with Nigeria’s dogshit currency.

11. >Adenike Ibrahim was close to handing in her dissertation at the end of two years of study when she missed one payment and was then kicked off her course and reported to the Home Office.

    >She subsequently paid the outstanding fees, but said she had not been re-enrolled and was told she must leave the country, along with her young son.

    Ok that’s actually really shitty.

12. Nigeria is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation – could this line have the word Nigeria replaced with the UK (or several other countries) just to add some context? Yes I am aware that we never got to 30% inflation.

    Broadly the globe is fucked right now and unless you are in the 1% – you are catching the wrong end of the shitty stick in some way (and in some cases broadly in the mouth). Yes, empathy is a great thing but these are catastrophically desperate times globally, frankly awful decisions have to be made. I mean its less than 2 months since we were seeing stories about University debt in the UK e.g. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/29/britain-universities-freefall-saving-them-funding-international-students – what are we doing here? Let’s just be nice and add to the debt pile that will inevitably go to the taxpayer probably?

13. Is it really so extreme to think that the university could’ve worked on a payment plan with this particular student given that she had paid 90% of her fees to date and was about to submit her dissertation?

    She paid the outstanding fees and hasn’t been re-enrolled and now has to leave the UK. It’s not as if she turned up and expected to study for free. A little compassion could have gone a long way here.

    If she can’t complete her course I hope she can transfer her credits to another institution at least. I’d hate to be in her situation.

14. Jesus these are like the oldest students I’ve ever seen in my life.

15. So this is my line of work. Students are told the cost of the course prior to applying, in all paperwork and while they are studying. They have the option of paying the course in one go or they are able to spead the cost over their course. They are sent multiple communications about upcoming payments and are given ample resources to seek assistance. Added to this, students (especially from countries like Nigeria, where the currency is unstable) are advised at the beginning of the course to move money into UK accounts but guess what, they don’t.

    They are not suddenly landed with a bill. All universities are businesses that have to pay staff and running costs. You wouldn’t believe the amount of international students that try not to pay. It’s huge. Typically you have to apply the rules for all as making exceptions means that all students have a “story” of why they can’t pay. I would like to add that home students have to pay as well. The only difference is that they return home which is in the UK. The rules of Student Visas is that if you are not studying then you should not be in the UK. You cannot study, or be marked as attended while your account has been suspended due to failure to pay.

    I can’t over emphasise enough that international students are given A LOT of communications, warnings, meetings etc before they are asked to leave, in all circumstances.

16. It’s always the Nigerian students. You don’t see this with other foreigners because their currency is stable even if it is a bit shitty. They haven’t held up their part of the contract by not paying fees. Unis don’t owe them anything. Unis are a business, not a charity for foreigners. These are the same kind of students who act so wealthy and classist.

    Entitled people who should take it up with their government but they think they’re above it.

17. People on here are not reading the article.

    The example given is of a student who paid 90% of her fees, has studied for over two years and is nearly graduating. I understand that the university is not a charity but this seems like an incredibly difficult situation for the students due to circumstances out of their control; surely they could come up with a solution for paying later? Just booting them off the course with no attempt to find an outcome that benefits everyone seems unnecessarily heartless to me

18. It shod really be assessed case by case. If near the end of a degree having already paid tens of thousands the university shod award them hardship funding.

    If in first year, sorry but they should have to leave. An English student would also be kicked out in similar circumstances. I’ve seen students not allowed to graduate for owing money, including library fines and rent.

19. as someone whose job is immigration compliance for a university… they’re talking out of their arse. there is no requirement to withdraw visa sponsorship and report students that are behind in payments. no requirement for that *at all*. that was a choice made by the university.

20. I guess what people aren’t considering here is..

    University carries on, hands out the degrees whilst asking for the money..

    Student gets degree and fucks off back home and leaves the university to pick up the tab.

    I am sure we are least have the sense to know that civil recovery against someone in Nigeria isn’t going to happen.

    Are we expecting the University to run the risk of taking the hit here?