Explainer: international students at Alliance universities

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 SU’s 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 an estimated loss of £2,500 per UK student. 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:

Are international student numbers in the UK growing now?

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.

Data from 60 universities shows that visa issuances are down 33% this year. A separate survey of over 70 universities showed a drop of 40% in international enrolments on postgraduate taught courses. 70% of international students in the UK study at postgraduate level.

There are a number of likely reasons for this:

• In December 2023, the government announced it was banning international Master’s students from bringing children and 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.
• The government’s commission of the Migration Advisory Committee to review the graduate visa route has led to uncertainty around future immigration policy for international students.
• Negative rhetoric towards international students from the UK government and in the 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, in March 2024, in a commission to the Migration Advisory Committee asking it to review the Graduate Visa Route, the Home Secretary asked the MAC to review the ‘drivers behind’ growth in international student numbers at universities with lower UCAS tariffs. Alliance universities, like most universities, offer undergraduate courses at various entry tariffs from high through to medium and low. Alliance universities have increased their market share in international student recruitment in recent years.

What does ‘tariff’ mean? An institutional UCAS tariff is the average level 3 performance (A levels or equivalent level) demanded by a provider for main scheme entry in a given year. This does not relate to the grades that people entering said university actually hold. (Source: WonkHE)

UCAS tariff is not a measure of quality, simply of the grades required to enter a university at undergraduate level. 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.

In March 2024, the University Alliance SU’s 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:

• The majority of international students (70% across the sector) are studying at postgraduate level. It is important to note that the ‘UCAS tariff’ the Home Secretary referenced does not apply to postgraduate courses, and would therefore be a misleading metric to apply in this instance.
• International markets are less influenced by ‘tariff’ as a marker of quality, and are more influenced by measures of teaching quality and student experience:
  • International students who were interviewed referenced the fact that their courses received Gold awards in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework, or that their university ranked highly for postgraduate student experience.
  • Alliance universities, like most universities, offer undergraduate courses at various entry tariffs from high through to medium and low. At the same time, they are the most likely group of universities to be ranked gold for teaching excellence in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework. University Alliance is also the highest scoring university group for student experience, according to the National Student Survey.
• 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 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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:

• International students ensure that the UK remains globally connected and respected: international students educated here are more likely to do business with the UK in the future, and educating world leaders at UK universities solidifies the UK’s soft power. In 2023, over one-quarter of the world’s countries were headed by someone who was educated in the UK.
• International students contribute over £40 billion in education export income for the UK every year: approximately £560 per citizen per year 
• International students support financial sustainability for our universities without increasing the contribution of taxpayers or students: international student fees now subsidise loss-making research and teaching for UK students to the tune of £3bn a year. 

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