Overseas Student Applications to UK Universities Rises, Says Admissions Service

File photo of university graduates taken on July 7, 2008. (Chris Ison/PA Media)

The number of international students applying to UK universities has risen this year with a record high coming from non-EU countries, data published by the university admissions service says.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) revealed on Thursday that 115,730 people from overseas had applied for undergraduate courses at UK higher education institutions by the January deadline, an increase of 0.7 percent since January of last year.

Of the total, 95,840 were international students from non-EU countries, representing a record high.

Applicants from China accounted for 28,620, a rise of 3.3 percent. Turkey saw a 37 percent increase in applications to UK undergraduate courses.

Some nationalities saw a decline, with applications from Nigeria falling to 1,590 (down 45.7 percent) and the number of Indian applicants dropping to 8,770 (down 3.9 percent).

Number of UK 18-Year-Olds Applying Also Rises

The number of 18-year-olds in the UK applying to undergraduate courses in the country had also risen by 0.7 percent, with UCAS stating the total figure stands at 316,850, calling it the “second highest on record.”

The application rate for UK 18-year-olds is at 41.3 percent, according to UCAS data, with the chief executive of Universities UK (UUK), Vivienne Stern remarking, “The latest Ucas figures demonstrate that university continues to be a hugely attractive choice, with an increase in UK 18-year-olds applying.”

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However, the total number of applicants to UK universities—all domiciles and ages—has fallen by 0.3 percent to 594,940.

Across the UK, applications across all ages had fallen by 1 percent in England a Wales and 2 percent in from Northern Ireland. Only Scotland saw a rise in applications (2 percent).

Government Pledged to Tackle Net Migration

The rise in international student numbers comes as the government has pledged to toughen visa rules for overseas students, particularly for those trying to bring relatives to the UK with them.

Commenting on the UCAS figures, a government spokesman said: “We are fully focused on striking the right balance between acting decisively to tackle net migration, which we are clear is far too high, and attracting the brightest students to study at our universities.

“That is why we have brought in some of the toughest measures in years, including tackling the substantial rise in students bringing dependants to the UK. This aims to ensure students are studying on high-quality courses which benefit the UK economy.”

On Jan. 1, 2024, new government rules on visas came into force which prevents international students from bringing spouses, children, parents, and other dependents to Britain while they study, unless they are on government-funded scholarships or are on research programmes.

Overseas Student Applicant Processes Under Examination

The report of increasing international student numbers comes as both the Department for Education and UUK announced separate investigations into overseas student recruitment processes following reports of “bad practices” by recruiters.

Allegations published by The Sunday Times in January alleged that some universities were offering international students places on programmes at lower grades than those expected from UK applicants.

UCAS’s data release also comes a week after the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, predicted that overseas student numbers could decline.

The British Council cited “cyclical headwinds”—such as the strong pound and the reemergence of the American education market—and the government’s new approach to immigration for influencing the predicted decline.

A research briefing published by the House of Commons Library in November 2023 said that in the academic year 2021/2022, there were 679,970 international students studying at universities in the UK, a new record total representing 24 percent of the total student population. Of the overseas students, 120,140 were from the EU and 559,825 from elsewhere.

China sent the most first-year students to the UK, 99,965 in 2021/2022, followed by India with 87,045, Nigeria (32,945), Pakistan (16,550), and the United States (13,550).

Last year, the United States was in the lead as the top inbound destination for international students, followed by the UK, Canada, and Australia.

PA Media contributed to this report.