International students boost economy by £40bn as applications continue to rise
More international students are applying for university courses in the UK this year, according to figures released by Ucas.
They revealed that a total of 115,730 overseas students applied for undergraduate places in UK universities by the January deadline, showing an increase of 0.7% since last year. The statistics also showed a record high number of non-EU overseas applicants, with 95,840 applying to UK higher education courses.
There was a noticeable increase in China's student applications, which rose by 3.3% to reach 28,620 since last January, while Turkey's increased by 37%. On the downside, Nigeria and India saw a decline in their applications. Nigerian applications dropped by 45.7% to 1,590, while Indian applications decreased by 3.9% to 8,770, Ucas said..
This comes after Universities UK (UUK) announced a review on international student admissions processes following allegations of "bad practice" by agents recruiting overseas students. A recent Sunday Times report alleged that these international students were offered places at lower grades than UK applicants due to their higher tuition fees.
However, despite a rise in international applications, overall applications for undergraduate courses in the UK have seen a minor decrease of 0.3%, bringing the total to 594,940 this year.
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Across the UK, university applications have seen a 1% drop from England and Wales, a 2% decrease from Northern Ireland, but a 2% increase from Scotland, according to the university admissions service. However, the number of 18 year olds applying for undergraduate courses has risen slightly by 0.7% compared to last year.
A total of 316,850 18 year olds from the UK have applied this year, making it the "second highest on record". This means that 41.3% of UK 18 year olds have applied, a slight dip from 41.5% in 2023.
The number of applicants for nursing courses in the UK has fallen by 7.4% to 31,100 compared to January last year. Applications have decreased across all specialisms, particularly adult nursing and mental health nursing, driven by a reduction in mature UK applicants.
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) think tank, said: “No-one who uses the NHS thinks we have enough medical staff, so the declines in interest in nursing are worrying. There is a big gap in the rhetoric we hear from policymakers on all sides of the political spectrum about developing the NHS workforce and the actual trends in demand to enter nursing.
"It is incumbent on policymakers to engage with this data and explain how they will get UK higher education back on track. The fall in demand from Nigeria is regrettable but unsurprising, given the signals coming from Westminster and changes like the increase in the NHS levy as well as the economic challenges in Nigeria.
"We are now seeing the unwinding of the increases in Nigerian – and Indian – students that had been promoted by some of Boris Johnson’s changes as Prime Minister.”
Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of University Alliance, said: “The marginal increase in international student applications demonstrates the continued draw of UK higher education. The benefits are mutual: international students drive over £40 billion in education export income for the UK every year, approximately £560 per citizen.
“They also contribute additional subsidies to access the NHS and support the financial sustainability of our universities, enabling universities to open up more opportunities for home students without increasing the contribution of taxpayers or UK students. The continued decline in applications for subjects like teaching, nursing and midwifery spell trouble for the future of our public sector.
“A concerted effort to reverse these trends will be required from government, the NHS and universities if we are to meet the ambitions set out in the NHS long-term workforce plan.”
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of UUK, said: “The latest Ucas figures demonstrate that university continues to be a hugely attractive choice, with an increase in UK 18-year-olds applying. However, we also know that the NHS needs many more people to go into healthcare careers to make the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan a success, so there must be a continued focus on recruiting students into medicine, nursing and other health-aligned subjects.”
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Dr Jo Saxton, chief executive of Ucas, said: “While today’s data shows a decline in applications from mature students, which will be more keenly felt in some subjects such as nursing, we know that these applicants are more likely to apply later in the cycle. For any students who missed the deadline or are still undecided on their next steps into higher education, they can still apply until June 30, and afterwards directly to Clearing, and plenty of choice still remains.”
A Government spokesperson 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.”
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