Universities chartering planes to bring international students over to the UK

[Thiscantreallybehappening]

Firstly, I do understand that universities need international students and it is a great experience for international students to come and study here and also for our students to go and study abroad too.

However, when a friend who works for a University told me this was happening, I was quite shocked. I am just not sure how I feel about it all happening this year.

Some universities are actually chartering planes to bring students over here from India, China and other countries. The students will need to have a Covid test 48 hours before they fly and the Universities will take them to the campuses on dedicated coaches that they have hired. By what I understand, the university will then ask the students to isolate. The universities are paying for the flights and then they will charge the students.

Other universities have persuaded airlines to fly students over to the UK. The universities are putting the airlines in contact with the students and the airlines will charge the students. As far as I know, students will be asked to isolate etc.

I think the main countries are India and China but could be a range of countries.

Will the students get a proper test prior to flying? Will they isolate? Who is going to oversee all this? I am sure universities have the best intentions but my concern is, as a country we keep being told we are at a tipping point and there are obviously going to be very difficult months ahead. Is this really a sensible idea? I do understand that universities are in a difficult situation but surely this is going to put extra pressure on university towns and the country as a whole?

The university expects the students to prove they have had a covid test before they fly and then isolation etc.

Yet we are not doing this with U.K. students?

@emptyshelvesagain

I agree, there doesn't seem to be any consistency

My friend works at a large University, he didn't google it. He explained to me that, to his knowledge, there were 2 options universities were looking into

Aren't they a bit late to be "looking into" it? The autumn term starts in two weeks, earlier in some institutions.

@Bwlch

I am aware that some universities have already done this. The university that my friend works for is in the process of finalising arrangements. They are flexible and are happy for the students to arrive after the start of term especially as it is blended learning this term.

@emptyshelvesagain

The universities have to get international students here or they’ll go bust.

I understand this, what I don't understand is the need to charter a plane.

Flights out of China are heavily restricted at the moment. So even if Chinese students wanted to return to campus (they mostly don't going by what I'm seeing in my own department) they would struggle to get here.

I don't know about UK Universtites, but I know of several companies who have chartered planes to get employees, and their families, into countries where scheduled flights are tricky or non existent. People were expected to get to a central, fairly easy access location (say Dubai) at their own cost and organisation, then were flown onwards from there when sufficient people warranted it. It is not something explicit to UK (English?) Universities. It has been happening globally. OK, probably with better quarantine requirements and regulation the here, but still, it's been happening for ages.

@emptyshelvesagain

The university expects the students to prove they have had a covid test before they fly and then isolation etc.

Yet we are not doing this with U.K. students?

That's the madness isn't it?

Flights out of China are heavily restricted at the moment. So even if Chinese students wanted to return to campus (they mostly don't going by what I'm seeing in my own department) they would struggle to get here.

Nobody would struggle to get here from China.

Flights out of China are still limited and very expensive.The border is still closed to non chinese citizens (you need to apply for a new visa) so flights are dramatically reduced in number.My dh came back in July and his ticket was £5k.
@TheSeedsOfADream hi!
We are now all together as a family and all of our possessions from China arrived at the end of August. How are things with you in Italy?