Expect Fewer International Students in UK, Experts Say

Experts in the United Kingdom are predicting a decline in international student enrollment, warning this could lead to universities experiencing financial challenges as an important proportion of income comes from international students’ spending.

Recent data suggest a significant drop in the number of international students securing places for courses at UK universities, Erudera.com reports.

According to Enroly, a platform that students use and universities to manage international enrollment in UK higher education, there has been a 35 percent decrease in deposits made by international students for places at UK universities this year compared to last August, Financial Times of London reported.

“The impact on individual institutions will be highly variable depending on their relative attractiveness and which markets they are predominantly focused on. It’s likely some will need to take further significant action to secure their financial sustainability,” Paul Kett, senior education and skills adviser at PwC UK, told the source.

At the beginning of this year, the UK government announced stricter student visa rules, preventing international students from bringing their family members to the UK, with exceptions for postgraduate research courses and government-funded scholarships. According to authorities, these changes were needed to tackle the levels of migration and prevent visa abuse.

Government figures released a couple of months ago revealed that student visa-dependent applications have dropped by 80 percent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year.

“The number of dependants accompanying students to the UK has drastically fallen by almost 80 percent, with more than 26,000 fewer student visa applications made from January to March 2024 compared to the same period in 2023,” a press release by the Home Office reads.

The most recent Home Office’s data confirm that in the year ending March 2024, the number of student visas issued to main applicants (not including dependents) declined by 6 percent compared to the year ending March 2023 and a 10 percent decrease from the historical peak in June 2023.

In the year ending June 2023, the number of study visas increased significantly, reaching 498,626. It then fell to 446,924 this year.

The newly appointed Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, also spoke on the issue of international students, saying the UK will welcome these students to its universities. She said international students who meet the criteria to enter a UK university on a student visa are welcomed in the country.

She took a critical view on the past governments’ treatment of international students, saying that for too long, they were treated as “political footballs, not valued guests.”

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