The value of studying alongside international students | Letter

Dr Angus Holford, Dr Greta Morando and Dr Julian Costas-Fernandez respond to news about falling numbers of overseas students coming to Britain

The focus of recent articles on international student numbers (Warnings of economic damage to UK as international student numbers fall by a third, 29 February; Are international students taking over UK universities? No - in fact, they're propping them up, 31 January) has been on their overall value to the UK economy or to universities' financial positions, or their impact on opportunities for British students. But it's also fair to ask what impact they have on the British students that they studyalongside.

Our recent peer-reviewed study looked at the entire English higher education system and found that having foreign peers has zero impact on how likely home students are to graduate or how well they do in their degree, and noimpact on their chances of finding employment afterwards.