INTO This Week 45

The new centre sits at the heart of the University's wider Forum development project, and is a fantastic advert for both INTO and the University of Exeter. Costing approximately £42million, the centre offers a host of innovative features including a Learning Resource Centre, large main lecture hall, and brand new IT suites. It is located on the Streatham campus.

'The outstanding new facilities at INTO Exeter will support our goal of providing an exceptional teaching and learning experience,' said Liz Munro, INTO's Academic and Operations Director. 'A fantastic student experience lies at the heart of student success and the new building will make a significant contribution to helping students fulfil their aspirations. Situated as it is in the centre of the University campus, it will also be a great meeting place for staff and students from across the University.'

Dr John Withrington, Director of the International Office at the University of Exeter, said: 'The new INTO centre is a magnificent and impressive building. Located as it is at the heart of the University of Exeter's main campus, it sends a powerful message that we have here a truly world-class facility at one of the leading universities in the UK.'

The project follows the launch of the INTO Exe accommodation last month, and was similarly completed on time and to budget by the development team - architects Lacie, Hickie and Caley and construction company Cowlin.

The move from the Old Library building on Prince of Wales Road, INTO Exeter's base for the past four years, to the new building also went smoothly, with staff working hard to minimise disruption to students.

'It was a wonderfully smooth changeover with very little disruption to teaching, and all staff and students were so cooperative and positive,' said INTO Exeter Centre Director, Penny Foster.

Despite the busy week, staff found time to hold a leaving presentation for Claire Hunt, who has worked at the INTO Exeter centre (and previously the English Language Centre) for 25 years, along with a thank-you-cum-birthday ceremony for Sam Lydon-Drake, who has been central to coordinating the INTO development on campus.

Overall the new INTO Exeter centre offers a taste of what lies ahead, as INTO strives to provide a superior student experience in the years to come.

INTO Chairman, Andrew Colin, said: 'There is a lot of talk in the sector about 'world-class provision'... Well, five years on, I think we are redefining the term. With excellent teaching teams, high standards of care, carefully developed programmes and multi-million pound investments in facilities, we are simply leading the way.'

He added: 'It really makes me feel immensely proud to be a part of the wider INTO team working together, changing lives, and delivering on the promise of a world-class student experience. Next up Newcastle, Oregon, London and Glasgow!'

See photos of new INTO Exeter academic building (including the inside!) here.

The Government argues that the proposals are designed to prevent abuse of the immigration system by students, and will limit numbers from outside the EU applying for visas under what is known as Tier 4 of the points-based system. However, given about two-thirds of the 273,000 student visas issued in 2009 came through the Tier 4 system, many are worried that a shortfall in student applications lies ahead.

To lobby the government INTO has been working with its partner universities; several other pre-degree programme providers; and various bodies including Universities UK, UKCISA, English UK, and the 1994 Group. A chief concern is that low student numbers could jeopardise the success international education has brought the UK economy, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

Another worry is that the wider higher education sector will suffer. Universities often recruit from pre-degree level courses, which dramatically improve international students' English and subject knowledge. Cutting numbers to such courses could affect standards across the board.

'INTO welcomes efforts to reduce bogus student applications and colleges, including the restriction of sponsorship to Highly Trusted Sponsors only,' said INTO Director of Student Experience, Tim O'Brien. 'But high quality, university-linked programmes, which are responsible for preparing more than 40% of the international students who enter our universities, should not be made to suffer.'

The chief executive of Universities UK, Nicola Dandridge, told the Times Higher Education supplement last week: 'International students are not economic migrants. They come, they go and they bring money into the UK. There is no basis on which these proposals stack up.'

With regards to the raised language level, Vice Chancellor of University of East Anglia, Professor Edward Acton, told the BBC: 'The catastrophic effects on universities will, for a period, actually make the home [tuition] fees matter slightly fade from the centre, so grave will it be.'

Last week, the Government brought to an end a period of consultation on the proposals which received 31,000 submissions (an estimated 1,000 of which came from INTO, its staff, INTO students and INTO's partners).

The Government will review the responses to the consultation and announce the final proposals for the system at the beginning of April. For INTO the campaign continues, and it plans to keep up the pressure to ensure it can continue to provide universities with high quality students.

'It is vital that the Government publicly celebrates the value of international students to the UK economy, and supports an export industry conservatively estimated to be worth £10billion,' said Tim O'Brien.