Grade deflation, overcrowding and 'chaos' as colleges scramble for fees

Russell group hoovers up international students to stave off budget deficit fears

- Anna Fazackerley

They can't recall a freshers' week like it.

Courses have doubled in size, lecture halls and accommodation are full to bursting and staff are being called back from redundancy to cope with a flood of new students, according to academics at some of the UK's most prestigious universities.

Universities in the elite Russell group took a significant proportion of UK and international students who applied to start this autumn, with experts saying some dropped grade requirements to net more students.

With the Office for Students forecasting that nearly three-quarters of universities could be in deficit in 2025-26, and with many slashing jobs, this desire to bank more undergraduate fees is seen as unsurprising. However, academics and the University and College Union are warning that overstretched academics are being pushed to the brink.

Jo Grady, general secretary of the UCU, said: "Many universities have over-recruited domestically, leading to stuffed lecture halls and overworked staff. This is one of the reasons we are set to ballot UK universities."