Recent statistics show a dramatic reduction in foreign student enrollments at the majority of UK Universities of higher education. The reduction in some cases has been very large, with one institution reporting almost an 80% reduction in enrollment.
Statistics from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) indicate that international students have decreased by 7% for the school year 2023-2024, compared to the previous year. Furthermore, non-EU postgraduate enrollments fell by 10%, causing concerns for universities that depend on international students.
This downturn is largely due to the fact that fewer students are arriving from major countries. The number of Nigerian students went down by 36%, that of Indian students went down by 15%, and that of Chinese students went down by 4%, as per ICEF Monitor. All these downturns have clearly struck schools that mostly depend on students from these areas.
There were 732,285 international students in U.K. universities in 2023-2024. 656,735 were non-EU. But some sections of the university system were hit harder than others.
Post-1992 universities lost 15% of their non-EU postgraduate taught enrollment, with visa statistics showing that fewer applications from India and Nigeriaβstarting January 2024βwere a primary cause.
STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCES RECORD DROP
Staffordshire University was among the worst hit, with overseas students plummeting. There was a decline of 79%, from 1,205 in 2022-23 to a mere 255 last year, according to Times Higher Education. Among the other universities that also experienced significant declines are:
- University for the Creative Arts (down 54%)
- University of Worcester (-53%)
- University of Central Lancashire (-50%)
Some other Universities dropped by at least 40%, including the Coventry University, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, the Cardiff Metropolitan University, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Dundee, Bishop Grosseteste University, and the Southampton Solent University.
Individuals believe that the decline has a direct relationship with government policies for student dependents, which have caused financial issues for most universities. International students pursuing master’s degrees from January 2024 are not allowed to bring dependents to the U.K., a policy previously only for undergraduate students. Exceptions are reserved exclusively for research graduate students or government-sponsored scholarship recipients.
Studyportals’ business unit director, Mark Ovens, described how student mobility had been shaped by policy.
“The period covered, August 2023-July 2024, includes the uncertainty caused by the Migration Advisory Committee review into the Graduate Route [work visa] as well as stopping PGT dependents’ visas, which affected entrants from January 2024 onwards,” Ovens said.
“These were part of a series of measures introduced by the outgoing government to stem migration,” he said.
GRADUATE ROUTE VISA REVIEW AND FUTURE TIGHTENING OF RULES
In March 2024, the government in the U.K. began examining its Graduate Route work visa program. In May, they affirmatively stated students would be allowed to work despite having studied. The Home Secretary and Education Secretary, though, have expressed plans to tighten the rules for students on visas. The intention is to ensure colleges and universities in the U.K. prioritize studying rather than it being a route to enter the country.
Scheduled changes are:
- Increasing amounts of monetary aid, providing students with sufficient funds to become independent.
- English language testing standardized, international students attaining specified levels of proficiency.
Currently, students have to prove they have Β£1,334 per month for London courses and Β£1,023 per month for courses outside of London, for a maximum of nine months.
Other recommendations are tighter compliance for institutions that hire international students and strict regulation of recruitment agents. There is also a recommendation to restrict distant learning and emphasize face-to-face learning to ensure academic integrity.
Whereas international student numbers are of concern, HESA’s new figures also indicate a modest total decrease in U.K. higher education institution enrollment. At 2,904,425, total enrollments in students in 2023-2024 are a 1% decline from last year’s figure of 2,937,155.
MORE NEWS
UK UNIVERSITIES COULD GAIN AS TRUMP’S ACTIONS KEEP FOREIGN STUDENTS AWAY
The British Council indicates that tighter immigration rules elsewhere in the world have made the U.K. a more attractive option for foreign students since Donald Trump resumed the presidency.
“While uncertainty is the sole certainty of Trump’s style of government, his return could be welcome news for the U.K. industry.” Fewer foreign students came to study in American institutions in Trump’s first term. That was largely due to strict government rules, Times Higher Education states.
Trump’s administration implemented numerous alterations that impacted foreign students adversely. In 2017, he established travel prohibitions which impacted nearly a dozen nations, five of which have predominantly Muslim populations, as well as North Korea and Venezuela.
Subsequently in 2020, visa policies were increased, making immigration more difficult from six additional countries, primarily with high Muslim populations. Trump also proposed tighter regulations on student visas, such as restrictions on the length of stay for some nationalities.
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He wanted to implement regulations that would exclude foreign students from remaining in the U.S. if their courses moved online during the pandemic. From 2017 to 2021, fewer international students enrolled in schools in the United States. According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), international students declined from 1,078,822 in the 2016/17 school year to 1,075,496 in 2019/20.
Even worse, new intakes plummeted, from 300,743 students in 2015/16 to 267,712 in 2019/20. Before the COVID-19 virus, the sector had already lost around 50,000 international students, with the greatest falls from applicants in the Middle East, North Africa, Mexico, and Central America.
With Trump back in office, a number of U.S. universities, such as MIT, Yale, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told international students to go back before his inauguration. They were worried about possible visa rules and travel bans. There are also problems with Trump’s perspective regarding H-1B work visas. This might also cause more foreign students to reconsider attending college in the U.S.
The PIE News informs us that hours after Trump began his second term as president, he signed several executive orders on immigration. This was a matter of serious concern to international students and their families. One of the strongest steps taken was the order for rigorous screening of foreign nationals applying for U.S. visas.
“This would enable the government to carry out more rigorous checks on individuals from certain countries or even to make the case for a partial or complete ban on accepting individuals from certain countries,” NAFSA’s deputy executive director of public policy, in an interview with The PIE.
The British Council report, which The Independent cited, states U.S. education “may lose some of its shine for international students,” potentially inspiring more numbers of international students to attend the United Kingdom.
Stricter immigration laws in Australia and Canada can drive potential students elsewhere, and it will leave U.K. universities with a “ready recruitment pool.”
Maddalaine Ansell, British Council director of education, emphasized the importance of positioning the U.K. as a top destination for international students. “Although our English-speaking rivals may be in trouble, we must not rest on our laurels,” she said to The Guardian.
“Ansell also said that there is still more to be done to attract yet more students from some of the smaller markets. That includes carrying on and investing in TNE and making the U.K. as compelling as it can be to leading international students around the globe.”
Following the difficulties of 2024, the report foresees a more positive situation for the U.K. international education sector in the year ahead. The British Council also added that though India may be peaking at sending students abroad, a decelerating Chinese economy may make students more interested in studying abroad for postgraduate degrees.
East Asian markets will continue to expand and Malaysia is increasingly becoming one of the prime beneficiaries of this trend. Government statistics indicate that foreign students comprised about 25% of the U.K. students in 2023, which was 750,000 students.
CNA reported that the applications for the study visa of the 2024β2025 academic intake fell by over 30%, and postgraduate admissions fell by 40%.
Home Office statistics in January 2024 showed a 14% decline in worldwide visa applications year over year, The PIE News reported. Critics claim that fewer people are enrolling because the U.K. government has made immigration rules and visa restrictions stricter since January 2024.
UK SEES 14% DECLINE IN FOREIGN STUDENT VISA APPLICANTS
The recent statistics from the UK Home Office show a decline of 14% in the number of international student visa applications in 2024 compared to the previous year. The data show a general decline in overseas enrollments, particularly postgraduate students, with enrollments falling by 20% during the 2024-2025 academic year.
The biggest decrease in enrollments was from Nigerian students, which declined by 65%. Indian and Pakistani applications also decreased by 34% and 31%, respectively. PIE News broke this trend, attributing it to the way policy and economic developments influence international student flow.
The largest decline in enrollments was for Nigerian students, which dropped by 65%. Indian and Pakistani applications decreased by 34% and 31%, respectively. The trend was reported on by PIE News, with an emphasis on policy changes and economic trends driving international student mobility.
Policy changes by the government have had a highly influential impact on visa application trends. Student dependents’ restrictions on regulations that commenced in January 2024 led to an 84% drop in dependent visa applicants. The regulations ban dependents from accompanying students except in postgraduate research programs, making it harder for applicants from some countries.
The decline in enrollments will have a significant impact on postgraduate studies since foreign students constituted 71% of full-time postgraduate enrollments during the 2022-2023 academic year. Government policy changes have been quite instrumental in influencing how individuals seek visas.
Dependent student caps, which came into effect in January 2024, saw a massive decrease of 84% in applications for dependent visas. The changes prohibit family members from accompanying students unless they take postgraduate research courses, rendering it more challenging for applicants from certain nations.
The decline in enrollment will have a significant effect on postgraduate studies since the foreign students contributed 71% of all full-time postgraduate enrollment in the 2022-2023 time frame.
