FOREIGN students in York contribute £1.5 million to the local economy, a new study has shown.

Research carried out by a leading high street bank has calculated the 1,040 foreign students studying at York’s Higher Education institutions spend on average £93 each week in their community on shopping, bars, restaurants, and travel, amounting to a massive £1.5 million each year.

Foreign students’ personal spending comes in addition to the £10 million in tuition fees they pay to UK Higher Education institutions each year, according to the research from Santander Universities Global Division.