In 2023/24 there were estimated to be over *** million students enrolled in higher education courses in the United Kingdom, compared with 2.94 million in 2022/23, 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.

There were 133,265 students enrolled at the UK-based Open University for the 2023/24 academic year, compared with 140,215 in the 2022/23 academic year, which was by far the highest number of students enrolled during this provided time period and a reflection of the move towards distant learning after the COVID-19 pandemic.

This file contains information on the number of higher education students in the UK, broken down by sex, level of education, mode of study, subject group and domicile.

In 2023/24, the Open University, which focuses on remote learning, had approximately ******* students enrolled on courses, the highest in the UK during that academic year. After the Open University, University College London had the highest number of students in the UK, at ******, while the University of Manchester had the second-highest, at ******. The UK's oldest university, The University of Oxford, had ****** students studying there in this academic year.

United Kingdom UK: Over-Age Students: Primary: % of Enrollment data was reported at 1.126 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.067 % for 2014. United Kingdom UK: Over-Age Students: Primary: % of Enrollment data is updated yearly, averaging 1.594 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.386 % in 1979 and a record low of 0.000 % in 2003. United Kingdom UK: Over-Age Students: Primary: % of Enrollment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

Households with full time students away from home and age of student by number of students. Census Area Statistics Table CAS064 Source: Census 2001 Publisher: Nomis Geographies: Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA), Middle Layer Super Output Area (MSOA), Local Authority District (LAD), Government Office Region (GOR), National, Parliamentary Constituency, Urban area Geographic coverage: England and Wales Time coverage: 2001 Type of data: Survey (census)

United Kingdom Number of Students: CD: HE: Saudi Arabia data was reported at 8,070.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8,570.000 Person for 2016. United Kingdom Number of Students: CD: HE: Saudi Arabia data is updated yearly, averaging 8,832.500 Person from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2017, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9,860.000 Person in 2012 and a record low of 8,070.000 Person in 2017. United Kingdom Number of Students: CD: HE: Saudi Arabia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Higher Education Statistics Agency. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.G066: Higher Education Student Enrolments: By Country of Domicile.

Students from the Chinese ethnic group had the highest entry rate into higher education in every year from 2006 to 2024.

During the 2022/2023 academic year, there were approximately *** million full-time and sandwich students in the United Kingdom (UK), with almost ******* occupying provider-maintained property and roughly ******* in private-sector halls. The largest share of students, ******* occupied other rented accommodation.

United Kingdom Number of Students: CD: HE: Others data was reported at 105,130.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 107,040.000 Person for 2016. United Kingdom Number of Students: CD: HE: Others data is updated yearly, averaging 106,887.500 Person from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2017, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 107,895.000 Person in 2015 and a record low of 103,790.000 Person in 2013. United Kingdom Number of Students: CD: HE: Others data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Higher Education Statistics Agency. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.G066: Higher Education Student Enrolments: By Country of Domicile.

This dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify schoolchildren and full-time students aged 5 years and over in England and Wales by student accommodation and by age. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.

Estimates for single year of age between ages 90 and 100+ are less reliable than other ages. Estimation and adjustment at these ages was based on the age range 90+ rather than five-year age bands. Read more about this quality notice.

Area type

Census 2021 statistics are published for a number of different geographies. These can be large, for example the whole of England, or small, for example an output area (OA), the lowest level of geography for which statistics are produced.

For higher levels of geography, more detailed statistics can be produced. When a lower level of geography is used, such as output areas (which have a minimum of 100 persons), the statistics produced have less detail. This is to protect the confidentiality of people and ensure that individuals or their characteristics cannot be identified.

Coverage

Census 2021 statistics are published for the whole of England and Wales. Data are also available in these geographic types:

• country - for example, Wales
• region - for example, London
• local authority - for example, Cornwall
• health area – for example, Clinical Commissioning Group
• statistical area - for example, MSOA or LSOA

Student accommodation type

Combines the living situation of students and school children in full-time education, whether they are living:

• alone
• in a student household
• with parents
• in a communal establishment, split by university and other communal establishment type
• in other household types

It also includes whether these households contain one or multiple families.

This variable is comparable with the student accommodation variable but splits the communal establishment type into “university” and “other” categories.

Age

A person’s age on Census Day, 21 March 2021 in England and Wales. Infants aged under 1 year are classified as 0 years of age.

United Kingdom Number of Students: CD: HE: USA data was reported at 17,580.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 17,115.000 Person for 2016. United Kingdom Number of Students: CD: HE: USA data is updated yearly, averaging 16,672.500 Person from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2017, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17,580.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 16,230.000 Person in 2013. United Kingdom Number of Students: CD: HE: USA data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Higher Education Statistics Agency. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.G066: Higher Education Student Enrolments: By Country of Domicile.

This statistical bulletin details the number of students enrolled at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in NI and NI domiciled students enrolled at HEIs in the United Kingdom (UK) in the academic year 2007/08. The bulletin tables also contain summary information on NI students enrolled on Higher Education (HE) courses at Institutions in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and at Further Education colleges in the UK.

Source agency: Employment and Learning (Northern Ireland)

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Student enrolments on Higher Education courses: Northern Ireland

Number of Higher education students in the United Kingdom at further education colleges or higher education providers by gender, level and mode of study, subject and domicile.

Forecast number of students receiving loans, by loan product

Census 2021 data on international student population of England and Wales by country of birth, passport held, age, sex and other characteristics.

These datasets are part of the release: The changing picture of long-term international migration, England and Wales: Census 2021. Figures may differ slightly in future releases because of the impact of removing rounding and applying further statistical processes.

Figures are based on geography boundaries as of 1 April 2022.

This release includes comparisons to the folllowing 2011 Census data:

• Students in full-time education
• International students (by Region)
• International students by country of birth
• International students by Top 100 countries of birth

Quality notes can be found here

Quality information about demography and migration can be found here

Quality information about labour market can be found here

Usual resident

A usual resident is anyone who on Census Day, 21 March 2021 was in the UK and had stayed or intended to stay in the UK for a period of 12 months or more, or had a permanent UK address and was outside the UK and intended to be outside the UK for less than 12 months.

International student

An international student is defined as someone who was a usual resident in England and Wales and meets all the following criteria:

• in-full-time education
• non-UK-born
• non-UK passport holder
• aged 17 years or over upon most recent arrival in the UK
• aged 18 years or over on Census Day.

Country of birth

The country in which a person was born. The following country of birth classifications are used in this dataset:

• Country of birth 12a: Political groupings of countries by EU membership and geographical location for non-EU countries.
• Country of birth 190a: Individual countries. This classification includes geographical groupings for low volume countries.
• Country of birth (3 categories): These categories have been derived from country of birth 12a and include all UK countries in "Europe: United Kingdom", all EU countries in "Europe: EU countries" and all remaining countries including British Overseas territories in "Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)".

More information about country of birth classifications can be found here.

Passports held

The country or countries that a person holds, or is entitled to hold, a passport for. Where a person recorded having more than one passport, they were counted only once, categorised in the following priority order: 1. UK passport, 2. Irish passport, 3. Other passport. The following classifications were created for this dataset for comparability with other international migration releases:

• Passports held (4 categories): High level political groupings of passport held by EU membership and geographical location for non-EU countries.
• Passports held (12 categories): Political groupings of passport held by EU membership and geographical location for non-EU countries.
• Passports held (150 categories): Individual countries for passport held. This classification includes geographical groupings for low volume countries.

More information can be found here

Economic activity status

The economic activity status of a person on Census Day, 21 March 2021. The following classification is used in this dataset:

• Economic activity status classification status_12a

Industry

The industry worked in for those in current employment. The following classification was used for this dataset:

• Industry (current) classification 22a

Student accommodation

Student accommodation breaks down household type by typical households used by students. This includes communal establishments, all student households, households containing a single family, households containing multiple families, living with parents and living alone.

More information can be found here

Second address indicator

The second address indicator is used to define an address (in or out of the UK) a person stays at for more than 30 days per year that is not their place of usual residence. Second addresses typically include: armed forces bases, addresses used by people working away from home, a student’s home address, the address of another parent or guardian, a partner’s address, a holiday home. There are 3 categories in this classification.

Detailed description can be found here

Main language (detailed)

This is used to define a person's first or preferred language. This breaks down the responses given in the write-in option "Other, write in (including British Sign Language)". There are 95 categories in the primary classification.

More details can be found here

Proficiency in English language

Proficiency in English language is used to determine how well a person whose main language is not English (English or Welsh in Wales) feels they can speak English. There are a total number of 6 categories in this classification.

More details can be found here