A student guide to the UK general election 2024

On 4 July, polling stations across the UK will open at 7am and close at 10pm, allowing members of the public to cast their votes in the general election.

The political parties have released their manifestos, detailing the plans they would enact for the country should they win.

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The policies on higher education and immigration will impact both local and international students.

The student vote is a powerful way to make your voice heard and to influence the policies that will shape the country for years to come.

Here’s a breakdown of each party’s key points on education and immigration:

Labour Party

• Aims to create a secure future for higher education, supporting universities and fostering partnerships with industry.
• Plans to implement 10-year budgets for key research and development institutions to enhance stability and industry partnerships.
• Committed to supporting university spin-offs to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
• The manifesto does not explicitly address tuition fees, but shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson has indicated that raising them is “unpalatable,” although not entirely ruled out.
• Labour promises to support the aspiration of every person who meets the entry requirements and wants to attend university.

The Labour Party manifesto does not provide explicit details about policies on international student visas or immigration.

Conservative Party

• Proposes closing university courses that are considered “poor-quality”.
• Plans reforms in student finance to prevent students from paying back more than they borrowed in real terms.
• Introduce a lifelong learning entitlement for adult retraining and upskilling.
• Plans to implement health checks before travel and to increase the Immigration Health Surcharge to £1,035.
• Plan to increase all visa fees and to remove the student discount for the Immigration Health Surcharge.

You can read the Conservative and Unionist Party manifesto in full on the party’s website.

Liberal Democrats

• Support for science, research and innovation in universities, including participation in the European Union’s Horizon Europe and the European Innovation Council.
• Commitment to review higher education financing, addressing access and participation issues and ensuring that there is no more retrospective raising of rates or selling-off of loans to private companies.
• Introducing a statutory Student Mental Health Charter, including mental health support, and requiring all universities to make mental health services accessible
• Plans to reform work visas with a system based on merit, collaborating with employers to add sector-specific needs.
• Report international student flows separately to long-term migration.
• Ensure that all universities work to widen participation to disadvantaged and under-represented groups.
• Rejoin the EU’s Erasmus+ exchange programme.

The Liberal Democrats manifesto is available in further detail on the party’s website.

Green Party

• Plans to scrap undergraduate tuition fees and to restore maintenance grants.
• Aims to invest more than £30 billion in research and development over five years.
• End the minimum income requirements for spouses of those holding work visas.
• Replace the Home Office with a new Department of Migration.
• Simplify the visa application process and reduce application fees to cover processing costs.

More details of the Green Party manifesto can be found on the party’s website.

Reform UK

• Proposes scrapping interest on student loans and extending repayment periods to 45 years.
• Set a cap on undergraduate student numbers.
• Advocates for two-year graduate courses to reduce student debt and facilitate earlier employment.
• Aims to cut funding to universities that allegedly undermine free speech or allow political bias.
• Focus on preventing immigration via degree courses they deem to be low quality.
• Introduce new visa rules for international students that bar dependants.
• Only allowing international students who have essential skills to remain the UK.

Reform UK is presenting its policies in “Our Contract with You”, where you can read further details.

Plaid Cymru

• Aims to make university education free for all students attending university in Wales.
• Proposes a free grant of £5,000 to all adults over 25 for studying or training in a new subject.
• Focus on expanding domestic and international student numbers in Welsh universities.

No specific details are provided in the Plaid Cymru manifesto regarding policies on international student visas or immigration, but students voting from Wales can read the full breakdown of information on the party’s website.

Scottish National Party (SNP)

• Defends free university tuition in Scotland and opposes tuition fees.
• Supports rejoining EU programmes such as Erasmus+
• Advocates for Scotland to have full powers over immigration to tailor policies to the country’s specific needs.
• Supports freedom of movement within the EU, aiming to facilitate easier access for EU citizens to live, study and work in Scotland.
• Focuses on mitigating the impacts of Brexit on productivity through reviewing immigration rules and expanding shortage occupation lists.

Students who are due to vote from Scotland can read more about the SNP manifesto on the party’s website.

Although the date to register has passed, you can read more about whether international students can vote in the UK general election.