British students are facing intense competition for science and engineering degree courses due to financial constraints limiting university expansion despite a 14% rise in applications since 2019. The government’s recent funding cuts threaten to exacerbate this issue, as universities struggle to deliver high-cost programs and increasingly rely on international fees, which have been affected by visa policy changes. With graduates from these high-cost subjects significantly more likely to enter critical sectors, concerns are mounting that reduced investment will undermine the UK’s economic growth ambitions.
