Many newspapers ran a story about a study by London First and PWC — here is the THE’s version. The headline number is that between tuition fees and living expenses, international students in London are worth £2.3 billion net. By ‘net’ here meaning subtracting an estimate of the costs to the health service and other such services. What the THE didn’t add, is that fewer than a quarter of the international students in the UK are studying in London: it’s not difficult to estimate then that international students bring in the fat end of 10 billion to the economy. (Source: HESA.) These figures are borne out by a UniversitiesUK report found here (see Annex A). Add to this the more than hundred thousand EU domiciled students nation-wide, some of who to be sure pay less in tuition fees but just as much to live day to day, and the figure is more like £12 billion. Higher education in the UK is a major export industry, something that occasionally gets lost in the various debates.