The University of China - how UK universities' financial drive impacts their Chinese students

UK universities attract a large number of international students with the promise of academic excellence. One particular group of students is being admitted at a record speed, bringing large amounts of income to UK universities. These are students coming from China. A report released in 2021 by King's College London and the Harvard Kennedy School raised concerns about the UK universities’ increasing financial dependence on Chinese students. Travelling across the country to different universities, interviewing over 40 Chinese students and sending Freedom of information requests to over ten universities, we set out to examine this issue from the Chinese students' point of view. The aim of this documentary is to shed more light on how UK Universities' financial drive to attract more Chinese students is impacting the Chinese students' experience at university.
Reporter- Liza Kaminov
Director- Isaine Blatry
Producer- Zi Wang
We are graduates of City University of London's TV Journalism MA course. This documentary was filmed in 2021 and provides an insight into a much wider issue which permeates the UK's higher education system today. All data was obtained via FOI requests and official statistical and data sources.