Briefing: international students at Alliance universities

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This briefing examines the drivers behind growth in the number of international students studying at Alliance universities in recent years, and the decline we have seen since 2023.

By many of the government’s own measures of quality, including the Teaching Excellence Framework and the National Student Survey, Alliance Universities are some of the highest quality universities in the UK. International students know that, and it goes some way to explaining why our members have increased their market share in international recruitment over recent years.

In this briefing:

Why have international student numbers grown in the UK over recent years?

Why have international student numbers in the UK declined since 2023?

What are the drivers behind growth in international student numbers at Alliance universities in recent years?

Are international student numbers at Alliance universities growing now?

Are Alliance universities attracting the brightest and the best international students?

Are international students taking places away from UK students at Alliance universities?

Why are international students so important to the UK?

Why is the graduate visa route so important?

Why have international student numbers grown in the UK over recent years?

  1. Changing global economies
    • In 2004, the British Council’s Vision 2020 predicted a 157% growth in demand for international higher education worldwide by 2020 as GDP per capita grew in countries across the world. It theorised that as the middle classes grew in countries with less established university sectors, more students would seek higher education overseas in countries like the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. The prediction was accurate, with growth in demand reaching 152% worldwide.
  2. Government strategy
    • Despite growth in demand for international higher education worldwide, the UK lost significant market share between 2008 and 2017 as more international students chose destinations like Australia, which offered the additional benefit of an opportunity to work in the country for a short time after graduating. Universities UK estimated that this cost the UK between £1.9 and £2.9 billion in education export income between 2013 and 2015.
    • Because of this, and recognising the value of education exports to the UK economy and in funding UK education, the government introduced its International Education Strategy in 2019, aiming to regain market share, diversify recruitment markets and grow education exports.
    • The education strategy precipitated a number of changes which helped regain market share. These included:
      • The introduction of the Graduate Visa Route, which allowed international students to work in the UK for two years after graduating and brought the UK in line with competitors.
      • Signing a memorandum of understanding with India to recognise each others’ qualifications, meaning that UK one-year masters’ degrees are now formally recognised in India.
      • Increasing investment in the Study UK campaign, which promoted UK universities in a greater diversity of countries overseas.
  3. The UK’s global reputation
    • In March 2024, the University Alliance Student Unions network interviewed international students to find out more about their experiences and study choices. International students cited a number of reasons for choosing the UK, including the culture, familiarity with the country and to advance their career. By far the most popular answer, however, was that the UK is globally renowned for high-quality education. All of the international students interviewed gave this reason.
  4. The funding environment for universities
    • As the UK tuition fee has been frozen at almost the same level since 2012, while costs have risen steeply, UK universities now make a loss on both educating UK students and on research activity. Growing international student numbers has played an essential role in filling this funding gap.
    • This has been supported by the government’s international education strategy, which has encouraged universities to grow their global footprint.

Hear from some of our international students why they chose the UK, in their own words:

Why have international student numbers in the UK declined since 2023?

Much like the rest of the sector, most Alliance universities experienced a drop in international student applications in 2024.

The number of international students applying for visas to study in the UK declined by 19% between the year ending September 2023 and the year ending September 2024.

There are a number of likely reasons for this:

  • In December 2023, the government announced it was banning international Master’s students from bringing their children or other dependents with them to the UK.
  • Some countries such as Nigeria, which send a large number of students to the UK every year, have experienced recent economic shocks/declines.
  • Negative rhetoric towards international students from UK politicians and media is echoed in the press worldwide, leading to perceptions that the UK is unwelcoming.

What are the drivers behind growth in international student numbers at Alliance universities in recent years?

All parts of the UK sector have experienced growth in international student numbers over recent years, for the reasons stated above.

Nonetheless, Alliance universities have increased their market share in international student recruitment in recent years.

In March 2024, the University Alliance SUs network interviewed international students on their campuses to find out more about their experiences and study choices. We asked them what they thought the drivers were behind growing numbers of international students choosing their universities. This is a summary of our findings:

  • International markets tend to be more influenced by specific measures of teaching quality and student experience, rather than commercial rankings:
  • Employer contact and professional accreditation were also decision making factors for international students. Many chose their degree at an Alliance university because it was professionally accredited, because it included a placement or because it was practical and industry-focused. The universities represented by University Alliance specialise in this kind of industry-engaged course, and the latest available data shows that one third of courses at an Alliance university are accredited.

Hear from some of our international students why they chose to study at an Alliance university:

Are international student numbers at Alliance universities growing now?

No. Much like the rest of the sector, most Alliance universities have experienced a drop in international student applications in 2024, and for some this has meant fewer enrolments.

Are Alliance universities attracting the ‘brightest and the best’ international students?

The ‘brightest and best’ is subjective and hard to define. Nonetheless, international students at Alliance universities are often highly impressive individuals. Given that they are mostly postgraduate students, and that they need access to significant funds to be granted a student visa and to afford to study in the UK, many have already had successful careers in their home countries. All postgraduate international students will already have undergraduate degrees, and many will have previous postgraduate degrees as well.


Hear from some of our international students about their experience prior to studying at an Alliance university:

Case studies

After completing a bachelor’s degree in his home country of Nigeria, Husseini Musa practiced professionally as a Quantity Surveyor for close to a decade, where he gained practical experience in the field of construction.

He wanted to enhance his expertise further, and applied to the MSc Construction Project Management (CPM) course at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture & Built Environment at Robert Gordon University.

A few months before completing his master’s programme, Husseini secured a full-time job as a Quantity Surveyor with Bouygues UK Construction, a leading construction company.

Husseini Musa (Nigeria) – MSc Construction Project Management, Robert Gordon University.

Having spent several years as Senior Architectural Designer at Places for People, one of the UK’s largest social hosing providers, Shabnam now puts her architectural training into practice as Design Lead at Modularwise.  Modularwise is a leading UK manufacturer of offsite constructed modular buildings and extensions for residential and commercial applications.  

Shabnam has also contributed to the fight against cancer, as co-creator of TrueInvivo, a system that helps target radiation therapy and reduces the number of healthy cells destroyed during cancer treatment. 

Shabnam Jamshidi (Iran) – 2014 Architecture (Design), Kingston University

Cameron won the inaugural Conran Shop Designer of the Future Award in 2021 for his design: the One Step Ladder. Cameron works in London as a designer maker; his practice is aimed at informing people about the value of craft and handmade objects. 

Cameron Rowley (South Africa) – 2021 BA Product & Furniture Design, Kingston University.

Are international students taking places away from UK students at Alliance universities?

No. The vast majority of students at Alliance universities are from the UK. Overall, 75% of students enrolling at an Alliance university in 2021/22 were from the UK.

Alliance universities are currently growing the number of places available for UK students. If a UK student meets our entry requirements and wants to study at a high-quality professional and technical university, they are very welcome.

The growth in international students has been concentrated at postgraduate level, for which there is lower demand from UK students.

Why are international students so important to the UK?

It is important for the UK to be competitive in its offer to international students because of the many ways they benefit the country:

Case studies

Hamid Ibrahim co-founded entertainment company Kugali Media after graduating from the University of Hertfordshire with a degree in 3D Animation and Visual Effects in 2017.
 
The production company has collaborated with Disney on ‘Iwájú’, a six-part animated series which was released this year.

Hamid Ibrahim (Uganda) – BA (Hons) 3D Animation and Visual Effects, University of Hertfordshire

Wulan was honoured at the Study UK Alumni Awards in Indonesia for her research into environmental sustainability and water quality.

Her PhD focused on the pharmaceutical contamination of Jakarta Bay in Indonesia. Its recommendations formed the foundations of new guidelines which set out how wastewater is managed in Indonesia’s capital city, which is home to more than 11m residents .

Wulan Koagouw (Indonesia) – PhD Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton

After graduating, Hamadh returned to the Maldives where he worked in the private sector as a business consultant, before becoming the Deputy Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation for the Maldivian Government

Hamadh Abdul Ghanee (Maldives) – BEng Aerospace Engineering, Kingston University

Why is the graduate route so important?

Despite growth in demand for international higher education worldwide, the UK lost significant market share between 2008 and 2017 as more international students chose destinations like Australia, which offered the additional benefit of an opportunity to work in the country for a short time after graduating. Universities UK estimated that this cost the UK between £1.9 and £2.9 billion in education export income between 2013 and 2015.

It is important for the UK to be competitive in its offer to international students because of the many ways they benefit the country.

This is what some of our international students said about why the route is important to them:

Further reading