Universities will go bust if foreign students barred, government adviser warns

Universities will go bankrupt if the government shuts out foreign students in a frantic bid to cut immigration, an adviser has warned – with poorer areas most at risk.

The chair of the Migration Advisory Committee raised the alarm after No 10 – under pressure from Tory MPs to act on rising numbers – said it is exploring excluding overseas students from “low-quality” degrees.

One suggestion is they would only be allowed a place at an “elite” university, which could mean only London, Cambridge and Oxford, Brian Bell said.