International Students

International students make up 13 per cent of all higher-education students in the United Kingdom. Indeed, the UK attracts more overseas students than any other country in Europe and is second only to the United States of America in terms of prime destination for international recruitment.

In 2005 to 2006 there were 223,850 international students (excluding EU) enrolled at UK higher-education institutes, representing a substantial increase of 64 per cent in just five years. In 2006 and 2007, international student expenditure generated £2.4 billion of output across the economy and accounted for more than 21,900 jobs – Universities UK estimates that in general about 20 per cent of UK academic staff come from overseas. The latest figures reveal that the total income of UK Higher Education institutes for 2006/07 rose nine per cent from previous years, exceeding £21.2 billion for the first time. The UK sells more brainpower per capita than anywhere else in the world. In 2005, this amounted to £75 billion in knowledge services – a quarter of all UK exports – and is now worth some 6.3 per cent of GDP (Work Foundation, 2007).

Professor Rick Trainor, President of Universities UK, commented: “Today’s figures underline the UK’s position as one of the main players in the global Higher Education market. The rise in international enrolments from the EU and elsewhere is good news for the higher education sector and also for the UK economy as a whole.”

A survey last year of University UK members found that 79 per cent of institutions had increased their marketing and recruitment efforts. Strategies in the case of Bristol University include whistle-stop tours and recruitment drives in China and India. The University of East Anglia, on the other hand, entice their numbers up with a different approach, by offering grants for foreign students.

In 2007, The British Council estimated that students from China make up almost one-quarter of all international students in the UK. The largest group from another EU country studying in the UK is from the Irish Republic, and the fastest increase is from India. In 2007 there were more than 23,000 Indian students in the UK, a five-fold increase in less than a decade. The number of university students from Eastern Europe has risen by six per cent (from 106,25 to 112,260). The biggest increase was among Polish students, whose number rose by 56 percent from 4,325 in 2005 to 2006, to 6,770 in 2006 to 2007.

Professor Rick Trainor remarks: “The 25 per cent increase in the number of Indian students is particularly welcome. It would seem that the UK-India Education and Research Initiative, launched by the government in 2005, is bearing fruit. This initiative was designed to strengthen the long-standing links between universities in India and the UK, and to encourage mobility between our two countries.”

A spokesperson for Universities UK exclaims: “A number of countries are taking similar steps to us to attract international students. In response, Universities UK has been lobbying hard on issues such as immigration fees and the ability of UK Higher Education Institutes to offer work placements to make sure that we are even more attractive to international students and graduates. We want as many international students as possible to experience the benefits of higher education in the UK.”

Universities UK has also recently launched the UK Higher Education Unit (www.international.ac.uk), which will co-ordinate, promote and undertake activities designed to support UK universities in a globally competitive world. The Unit provides access to the latest data and foresight analysis, helping individual Higher Education institutes to be efficient and effective in the ways that they respond to, and take advantage of, the opportunities offered by internationalisation.

He continues: “Universities are investing a great deal in their efforts to build on their strong position in the international Higher Education market. However, this must be backed up with the right policies from all parts of Government if we are to remain ahead of our competitors.”

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