International Students’ Week 2023

#ISW2023

Theme: Together round the table

• NUS Scotland has launched the first-ever International Students Week, not only to celebrate their contribution to Scotland but to create opportunities to listen to them and fight for a system that truly values them.
• We’ll also be talking about the value of international exchange and the need for a Scottish Student Exchange Programme – promised by the Scottish Government but as yet undelivered.
• There are over 280,000 students from outside the UK studying in Scotland’s universities, and around 1,800 at our colleges.
• More and more students are choosing to study in Scotland – there’s been an increase of 17% in students coming here between 2016-17 and 2020-21.
• International students pay eye-watering fees, face higher rates of homelessness and often have no access to support when they find themselves in hardship. Too often, they are viewed as cash-cows propping up an underfunded system.
• We believe international students are never cash-cows: they are welcome here and deserve so much better from our education system.

What are we asking people to do during international students’ week?

We’re asking people to get together round the table! We know that students’ associations across the country already do so much for the international students they represent. For International Students’ Week, we’re asking them to set aside some time to meet with their international students’ over the week – either through a formal meeting, round the dinner table, over a coffee, or whatever works best for you! By listening to international students directly we can better understand the issues they face and respond to them through our local and national campaigns.

Posted by Daisy Slate on ,