The Charity Commission has been asked to investigate Reading University's planned takeover of a unique college specialising in British degrees for Japanese students.

Reading intends to take over Witan International College, a private college that has charitable status and that shares Reading's London Way campus.

The university confirmed this week that it was due to strike a deal very soon. It plans to create a new charitable company to run the college, and said in a statement that its primary concern would be to support the existing students.

But it warned: "The university cannot envisage the circumstances under which the college could continue in its current form beyond the graduation of the last students in 2008."

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This has alarmed Witan students, who are mostly Japanese.

Rafal Demczuk, Witan's student representative, wrote to Gordon Marshall, Reading's vice-chancellor: "The situation today is that your university is going to take over the college, thus ending its existence and demonstrating utter disregard for the existing students and staff."

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Mr Demczuk copied his letter to the Charity Commission along with a formal complaint.

The college, which originates from the 123-year-old Gyosei High School in Tokyo, Japan, registered as a charity in Britain in 1988 and was launched into the UK education market in 1990. Its income in 2002 was £4.6 million.

Witan was criticised by the Charity Commission last year for weak financial controls and has been relying on a large subsidy from a Japanese benefactor. An internal college review concluded that Witan had insufficient resources to continue as an independent institution.

Reading said this week that the college would be a wholly owned subsidiary company of the university. It said a review of arrangements at the college, including the role of members of staff, would be carried out.

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The Charity Commission said it had not decided whether to investigate Mr Demczuk's complaint.