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.

The international student population of England and Wales by country of birth, passport held, age, sex and other characteristics.

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

There were approximately 10.63 million pupils attending schools in the United Kingdom in 2023/24, compared with 10.7 million in the previous year and 9.65 million in 2010/11.

In 2022/23, 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 approximately ****** students studying there.

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

This statistic shows the number of students at the Imperial College London in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018, broken down by type. Of students at the university, *** thousand were undergraduate full-time students, with a further *** thousand students studying for a postgraduate degree. Overall, the number of students at the Imperial College London amounted to roughly ** thousand.

United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Private: % of Total Secondary data was reported at 70.828 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 69.494 % for 2014. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Private: % of Total Secondary data is updated yearly, averaging 27.445 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2015, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 70.828 % in 2015 and a record low of 24.869 % in 2007. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Private: % of Total Secondary 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. Private enrollment refers to pupils or students enrolled in institutions that are not operated by a public authority but controlled and managed, whether for profit or not, by a private body such as a nongovernmental organization, religious body, special interest group, foundation or business enterprise.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Experimental Statistics from the Student COVID-19 Insights Survey (SCIS). Includes information on the behaviours, plans, opinions and well-being of higher education students in England in the context of guidance on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

There were 140,215 students enrolled at the UK-based Open University for the 2022/23 academic year, compared with 151,840 in the 2021/22 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.

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.

In the 10 years to July 2024, the percentage of further education students who were from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic backgrounds went up from 19.7% to 27.9%.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Data covers information on students, staff, graduates, finances, estates, and other populations from all aspects of the UK higher eduation sector.

United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Male: % Net data was reported at 98.477 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 97.452 % for 2014. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Male: % Net data is updated yearly, averaging 91.109 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 41 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.477 % in 2015 and a record low of 69.659 % in 1971. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Male: % Net 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. Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Secondary education completes the provision of basic education that began at the primary level, and aims at laying the foundations for lifelong learning and human development, by offering more subject- or skill-oriented instruction using more specialized teachers.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Demographic data for survey respondents and the student population for the 2016/17 academic year.

This statistic shows the number of undergraduate students at the Imperial College London in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2018. During the surveyed time period, the number of students studying at the university has increased from * thousand in 2012 to *** thousand by 2018.

Census 2021 student estimates for local authorities in England and Wales, by single year of age from 18 to 30 years.