You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Many universities charge higher fees for foreign students. Why do they do this? Do you believe that it is fair?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer:
Many foreign universities have a dual policy in case of their tuition fees as they charge foreign students higher than the local students. International students often need to pay up to 400 percent more than local students when it comes to higher education in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK. This is also the case in many other countries and a government’s obligation to its citizens, enforcing national privilege, tax payment by the local people and restricting the numbers of international students are the main reasons, I believe.
To begin with, different tuition fees for local and international students gives an impression that ‘you are not equal’ and when we are fighting for the equal rights in every country, the discrimination in the university tuition fee seems like an unfair one. However, the university authority often states that this is a policy that actually ensures better educational environment and fairness in the university campuses. First reason they mention for the different higher education fees is the government’s obligation to its citizens. A government has a natural obligation to education its citizens while educating foreign students is not a direct obligation it has. This also ensures that a government is enforcing the national privilege to its citizens while using the extra money earned from the international students for the improvement of the university education. Third, citizens of a country pay the tax to the government and thus should get the privilege in educating their next generation. Finally, higher university education costs help to control the international students’ flow in a country.
To conclude, providing some opportunities to the local university students is not a bad idea but imposing up to 5x charges to the international students is an unfair policy in my opinion. It’s unbelievable how far the university authorities are willing to push international students to get their pay and earn the extra money. In this age of globalisation and equal rights, this is not justified at all.