The living experience The trajectory since 2008 of international PGT student satisfaction with their living experience in the UK has been generally upward. However, some issues remain problematic from a student perspective. Most notably, international PGT students are increasingly dissatisfied with their levels of financial support and ability to earn money. This is likely to be related to their greater reliance on private income compared to international UG and PGR students. To sustain the UK’s position as an attractive study destination for postgraduate students, it is important to consider strategies that allow greater access to financial support, either through institutional support or expanded opportunities for work. On the positive side, international PGT students reported demonstrable improvements in satisfaction since 2008 concerning the contacts they have been able to make, and the social and cultural life encountered. In the contentious context of visa policy, one very positive indicator is the improvement in PGT student satisfaction with immigration and visa advice from their university, up 3 percentage points from 85% to 88%. This does not reflect positive changes in visa policy. It shows how international PGT students in the UK recognise the efforts made by university staff to guide and advise them. A resilient challenge surrounds the question of PGT student integration, with ‘Host friends’ marginally down at 68%.
Table 18: ISB survey data – the living experience for international PGT students in the UK, 2008-14 PGT Living Experience % satisfied or very satisfied
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Change
Accommodation quality
83%
84%
85%
86%
86%
85%
85%
2%
Accommodation cost
60%
63%
55%
58%
54%
56%
58%
-2%
Eco-friendly attitude
N/A
90%
90%
91%
91%
92%
91%
1%
Earning money
61%
61%
49%
53%
56%
49%
51%
-10%
Financial support
64%
65%
58%
63%
62%
50%
52%
-12%
Good contacts
73%
76%
80%
81%
82%
82%
80%
7%
Good place to be
88%
90%
91%
91%
91%
93%
93%
5%
Host culture
76%
80%
81%
82%
81%
84%
83%
7%
Host friends
69%
73%
68%
69%
69%
69%
68%
-1%
Internet access
86%
87%
81%
82%
82%
82%
84%
-2%
Living cost
64%
67%
64%
67%
62%
66%
66%
2%
Other friends
86%
87%
88%
87%
87%
87%
87%
1%
Campus buildings
N/A
N/A
N/A
90%
89%
91%
90%
0%
Campus environment
N/A
N/A
N/A
93%
93%
94%
93%
0%
Social activities
78%
81%
83%
83%
83%
86%
85%
7%
Safety
90%
91%
89%
89%
91%
93%
94%
4%
Home friends
88%
89%
89%
89%
89%
89%
88%
0%
Social facilities
81%
83%
84%
85%
83%
85%
85%
4%
Sport facilities
78%
78%
79%
81%
79%
82%
81%
3%
External transport links
85%
87%
86%
88%
88%
88%
88%
3%
University transport links
83%
84%
82%
85%
85%
86%
85%
2%
Visa advice
85%
85%
83%
83%
84%
89%
88%
3%
Worship facilities
86%
87%
85%
87%
87%
90%
90%
4%
31