University bosses are calling for tuition fees to be raised closer to the £24,000 a year average that foreign students pay.

They warn the £9,250 paid by UK students, which has been frozen for a decade, is forcing them to take on an ever-increasing number of foreign applicants from countries such as China and India.

A record one in five young undergraduates starting at top universities this autumn are from overseas, according to official figures, up 7 per cent in a year. The number of British undergraduates has declined by 13 per cent.

Source: The Times