There were ******* higher education students from India studying in the UK in 2023/24, the highest of any non-European country in the provided time period.

In 2023/24 there were ***** higher education students from Ireland studying in the United Kingdom, making this the most common European Union country of origin in this academic year.

Forecast: International Students in Tertiary Education in Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, as a Share of All Students Enrolled in This Field in the UK 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In the academic year 2023/24, there were 331,602 international students from India studying in the United States. International students The majority of international students studying in the United States are originally from India and China, totaling 331,602 students and 277,398 students respectively in the 2023/24 school year. In 2022/23, there were 467,027 international graduate students , which accounted for over one third of the international students in the country. Typically, engineering and math & computer science programs were among the most common fields of study for these students. The United States is home to many world-renowned schools, most notably, the Ivy League Colleges which provide education that is sought after by both foreign and local students. International students and college Foreign students in the United States pay some of the highest fees in the United States, with an average of 24,914 U.S. dollars. American students attending a college in New England paid an average of 14,900 U.S. dollars for tuition alone and there were about 79,751 international students in Massachusetts . Among high-income families, U.S. students paid an average of 34,700 U.S. dollars for college, whereas the average for all U.S. families reached only 28,026 U.S. dollars. Typically, 40 percent of families paid for college tuition through parent income and savings, while 29 percent relied on grants and scholarships.

Forecast: International Students in Tertiary Education in ICT in the UK 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2022/23 there were estimated to be over **** million students enrolled in higher education courses in the United Kingdom, which was the highest number of enrolled students during this provided time period. Although the number of students in the UK fell from *** million in 2011/12 to **** by 2014/15, this trend reversed in subsequent years, reaching the peak in the most recent year. Largest UK universities At ******* students, the mainly remote, Open University had the largest number of students enrolled among UK-based higher education institutions in 2022/23. University College London had the second-highest number of students at ******, followed by the University of Manchester at ******. At the UK's two oldest and most prestigious universities, Oxford and Cambridge, there were ******, and ****** students respectively. The university with the most students in Scotland was the University of Glasgow at *******students, with Wales' being Cardiff University at ****** students, and Northern Ireland's Ulster University having ****** students. Student Debt in the UK For students that graduated from English universities in 2024, the average student loan debt incurred over the course of their studies was over ****** British pounds. Although students graduated with less debt from universities in Wales, Northern Ireland, and especially Scotland, this too has been growing recently. In 2024, students from Scottish Universities graduated with an average of ****** pounds of debt, compared with ****** in Wales, and ****** in Northern Ireland. The overall outstanding student loan debt in the UK reached over *** billion pounds in 2023/24, with the vast majority of this debt from students who studied in England.

In 2022, Canada had the greatest number of international students compared to their entire higher education population, with nearly ** percent of students being international. Australia followed with a share of ** percent of the students being international, while the United Kingdom ranked third.

Forecast: International Students at Doctoral Level in the UK 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Tertiary International Student Inflow in the UK 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: International Students in Tertiary Education in Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction in the UK 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In the academic year of 2022/32, more than ******* Chinese students were studying in the United Kingdom. The number of Chinese students studying in British higher education institutions increased by more than ** percent in the last decade. An attractive destination for Chinese students In recent years, the United Kingdom has overtaken the United States as the top choice among the destination countries for Chinese prospective students. The more affordable tuition fees in the country compared to destinations such as the United States and Australia, the shorter duration of the postgraduate programs, and the reputation of British universities as seen in international rankings have all contributed to the high popularity of the United Kingdom among Chinese students and employers. The diversification of international study destinations At the same time, destinations for Chinese students have become more diverse. The high academic and research performance of the United States in many sectors continues to make it a desirable destination for affluent Chinese students. For students from middle-class or less well-off backgrounds, studying in places such as Japan, Germany, and France are more practical options as these countries offer more affordable programs.

Over the five years through 2024-25, the Universities industry's revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 2.1% to £56.5 billion. The increase in tuition fees to £9,250 in 2017-18 has been an important driver of revenue growth. However, with tuition fees frozen since then, inflation and particularly high inflation in the two years through 2023-24 has meant their real value has plummeted. The cap on undergraduate student numbers in the UK was lifted in 2020-21, leading to a rise in student enrolments, which has helped prop up universities’ income. Universities have struggled in the face of cuts to the level of research funding received from the government and disruption caused by the pandemic. Teaching went online in the final term of 2019-20 and remained there for most of the 2020-21 academic year due to restrictions imposed following the COVID-19 outbreak, pushing down revenue. However, despite fears of a fall in demand, student applications for 2020-21 rose and continued to climb in the following year. Universities are benefiting from the UK rejoining Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research programme – they’ve been able to access funding since January 2024. However, there are big concerns over ailing international student numbers since they currently prop up univeristy finances and help to subsidise domestic students' places. The introduction of the dependant ban in January 2024 on overseas students bringing family with them on their student visa for taught masters has seen applications from several countries fall. Revenue is still set to grow 1.9% in 2024-25 as funding levels rise and student numbers remain high. From April 2025, the DfE has confirmed tuition fees are due to increase in line with inflation to £9,535, which should lift revenue for universities. Over the five years through 2029-30, university revenue is forecast to climb at a compound annual rate of 1.2% to reach £60 billion. Strong demand from domestic students will further support revenue growth, with rising tuition fees boosting revenue post 2025. Commitment to the graduate visa route could be a positive signal for international student applicants, but the industry will need more funding intervention to prevent closures and budget cuts.

The UK’s exit from the European Union in January 2020, following a referendum in 2016, represented a significant potential rupture to EU student mobility to the UK. When the UK was an EU member, EU students were entitled to identical treatment to UK domestic students in higher education, able to finance undergraduate and master's fees through UK student loans (or pay no fees in Scotland) and access doctoral funding. After Brexit, EU students were treated like any other international student and liable for upfront and very high tuition fees. This policy shock has the potential to significantly disrupt full-degree EU student mobility to the UK. Using a comprehensive dataset of all EU full-degree enrolments in UK higher education, 2007–2023, we investigate patterns of incoming EU student mobility to the UK before and after Brexit. We find the sharp disjuncture to have both overall and more particular effects. Looking at how the shock of Brexit plays out differently across sending countries, levels and fields of study and institutional destinations provides interesting revelations about how international student mobility operates.

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) aims to collect data on both credits and debits for the travel account of the Balance of Payments, provide detailed visit information on overseas visitors to the United Kingdom (UK) for tourism policy, and collect data on international migration.

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) aims to collect data on both credits and debits for the travel account of the Balance of Payments, provide detailed visit information on overseas visitors to the United Kingdom (UK) for tourism policy, and collect data on international migration.

For the International Passenger Survey 2023, additional variables have been included in the “QReg” dataset, as detailed in the linked document. The “Custom” dataset is the updated version of “QcontCust,” with changes also outlined in the linked document. The “QReg” dataset has been expanded to provide more variables for analysis. The “Custom” dataset has been updated with extra variables for enhanced analysis and updated variable names where necessary.

Latest edition information
For the second edition (June 2025),a revised QReg data file has been added to the study. The original QReg data file contained an error and should not be used.

UK Student Loan Market size was valued at USD 3009.63 Billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 5394.76 Billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 7.56% from 2026 to 2032.Key Market DriversRising Higher Education Enrollment and Tuition Costs: The consistent growth in UK higher education participation rates combined with increasing tuition fees has significantly expanded the demand for student loans. This fundamental driver reflects both demographic trends and the continued perceived value of university education despite rising costs. UCAS data showed that 560,030 students were accepted into UK universities for the 2022/23 academic year, representing a 3.8% increase since 2019/20. The Student Loans Company reported that the average loan balance for borrowers who began repayment in 2022 was 45,060, a 17% increase from 2019 levels.International Student Growth and Specialized Financing: The UK has experienced substantial growth in international student numbers, creating expanded opportunities for private student lending as these students typically cannot access the same government-backed loans as domestic students. UCAS data showed international student acceptances increased by 12.3% between 2020 and 2023, with 70,055 non-UK students accepted in the 2022/23 academic year. Private student loan providers reported a 37% increase in lending to international students between 2020 and 2022, according to a Financial Conduct Authority market review.

In 2023, Business, Management, Sales, and Accounting were the fields of study with the highest proportion of international students. Foreign students in these degree courses represented more than ** percent of students, followed by university degrees, **** percent of which were taken by international students. Who are the international students in France? France attracted many international students who were willing to attend some of its business and engineering schools and universities. The majority of them come from outside the European Union (EU). Students from Africa and Asia are the most populous among foreign students in higher education institutions in France. However, France is also part of the Erasmus program, welcoming young people from other European countries. France was for example the second most popular destination among Italian students. And where do the French studying abroad go? If France is a host country for international students, it appears the French do study abroad too. In 2018, a majority of French students declared that they were willing to do their studies in a foreign country. The ones who take the plunge mainly choose Europe as their destination. Thus, France was the second most common European Union country of domicile for international students in the United Kingdom