Britain's reputation as a global education powerhouse could be threatened by a squeeze on government funding, a Financial Times survey suggests.
That in turn could deepen the sector's woes by making it harder to recruit foreign students who are a big moneyspinner for cash-strapped institutions, say vice-chancellors at a cross-section of UK universities.
Tim Wheeler, vice-chancellor of Chester University, which is competing for more foreign students, said: “There is a lot of recent adverse [press] coverage about cutbacks in English universities and it has certainly played into the hands of the American, Australian and Canadian universities.” All three countries vie with England in the battle for international students.