University of East Anglia plans to take on thousands more students

David Richardson, vice chancellor of the University of East Anglia. Picture: Denise Bradley (Image: Archant)

The proposal to increase numbers by 20pc will be included in a 15-year vision due to be unveiled in the New Year, and is likely to be seen as a big boost for our region's economy.

MARTIN GEORGE talks to its vice chancellor, David Richardson, about its future, home and abroad.

Higher education operates in an increasingly global marketplace, and when David Richardson became UEA vice chancellor last year, he listed its international outlook and reputation as one of his three key priorities.

Now, fresh from trips to Japan and India to promote its reputation, develop research collaborations, and encourage alumni to spread the word, he outlines ambitious plans for the future.

Expansion plans

The UEA has come a long way since it was founded in 1963. Now, Prof Richardson has revealed it is planning to increase student numbers by a fifth in the years ahead.

In the New Year, he will unveil a 15-year vision for its future, and the first of three five-year plans.

He said: 'We have a target to grow the university by about 3,000 students over the next few years.'

The local economy is likely to be a big winner from the expansion plans.

A 2010 study estimated the UEA contributed £420m into the local economy, a figure sure to increase with thousands more students.

The plans will also be seen as a sign the UEA feels secure in its status as a top-20 UK university, and confident about climbing further up the international rankings in the years ahead.

Prof Richardson added: 'The vision encompasses a lot of things, but I can say it will be a vision in which we are going to grow the university largely around current subject areas.

'I have not yet decided what the balance should be between growth in the home and EU area, and the international market.

'In some ways, that might depend a little bit on the way the Home Office develops its visa regulations, and how attractive the UK looks to students from overseas.'

Record recruitment

The plan to expand comes off the back of record recruitment for the current academic year, with the UEA accepting 900 more students than the year before, and all faculties meeting or exceeding their targets.

The vice-chancellor said there had been a 17pc increase in applications, in a year when the national increase was in the low single figures, and added: 'We are in a strong place, and we are firmly in the world's top 200 universities, and the UK's top 20.'

China

Students from outside the EU bring in about £40m to the UEA, but almost half come from one country - China.

He said: 'One of the things we would like to do is to diversify our international student intake. While it's great to have about 1,500 students from China, you can imagine if you have too many eggs in one basket, and the market fell through, that could be very damaging.

'We have heard about a downturn in the Chinese economy, so that might hit us. There are no alarm bells yet, but it shows why we should have a diversified market.'

America

The university is targeting five key areas: China, India, Japan, Malaysia and south east Asia, and the US.

Prof Richardson also said it is looking countries in Africa, and tempting South American students who might naturally think of heading north to the US.

He said: 'We think in the UK we have got an offer that can be very competitive with US universities. And we have a safe campus, a great city, high-quality education, and the costs of education in the US universities are very high, so we are very competitive.'

Students in the US itself, which shares a common language with the UK but has higher university fees, are another target, and the UEA is thinking of opening an office there.

Prof Richardson said: 'We are looking at countries with expanding middle classes, but there's an expanding global education market and if there's an opportunity to recruit students from the US, it's something we have to look at.'

Norfolk students

The vice-chancellor said about 30pc of the UEA's students come from the Norfolk area. As the university's national and international reputation grows, will increased competition from students from elsewhere squeeze out local applicants?

Prof Richardson sees the possibility of a different dynamic, where high-performing young people from the region 'are looking at their local university and saying 'wow, look at what the UEA is doing, why would I go anywhere else'... I don't think we are pushing anybody out.'

EU membership

Prof Richardson is vocal on the question of Britain's continued membership of the European Union.

'I firmly believe it's in the UEA's interests to be in the EU', he said. 'We benefit from the free movement of students and staff across the EU member countries, and we benefit from considerable income from the EU in respect of research grants and regional development funds.'

He points to the new Enterprise Centre which received £5m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and its Low Carbon Investment Fund, which received £20.5m from the ERDF, which he said leveraged £40m of private investment.

Withdrawal from the EU might allow UK universities to charge EU students higher fees, but he said any financial gain 'would not be close' to other losses.

Do you have an education story? Email martin.george@archant.co.uk