UK Universities Face Funding Crisis as 1 in 5 Prospective Students Set to Defer – Poll

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – More than one in five prospective university students in the UK may postpone the start of their studies for a year if higher education institutions are still suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak which could lead to a funding crisis, according to findings published by advisory firm London Economics on Wednesday.

London Economics commissioned YouthSight to survey 516 students who have applied to study at a UK university this year. According to the findings, 22 percent of students are predicted to defer their place for a year if universities are still unable to hold in-person classes as part of social distancing measures.

In previous years, between five to six percent of UK students make the decision to defer entry, UCU stated.

The increase in students not choosing to take their place at university could lead to a funding gap of billions of dollars in the UK higher education sector and the government must step in to write off losses, UCU stated.

According to an April study conducted by London Economics, the COVID-19 pandemic could result in UK universities losing 2.33 billion pounds ($2.86 billion) in tuition fees.

Sourse: sputniknews.com