Aberystwyth University’s Mauritius campus loses £1 million

Aberystwyth University’s Mauritius campus lost more than £1 million in just two years, according to the institution’s financial accounts.

The document shows that the branch campus generated £659,161 in tuition fee income during 2015-16 and 2016-17, but the university, which holds a 51 per cent share in the venture, received only £53,458 of this.

The net deficit for the two years stood at £1.02 million.

In December, the BBC reported that the university was planning to close its Mauritius campus just two years after it opened and would not enrol any new students from March 2018.

The campus was built to accommodate 2,000 students, but just 106 enrolled in its second year.

The University of Wolverhampton announced that it would close its Mauritius campus in December 2015, less than four years after it opened. It had just 140 students.

Middlesex University also has a campus on the island. More than 1,000 students from 25 countries study at the new campus, which opened in October 2017, according to the institution.

ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com